The North's two universities, Queen's and the University of Ulster (UU), are to benefit from a £40 million package aimed at improving their research infrastructure, the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Mr Sean Farren, has announced.
The SPUR (Support Programme for University Research) will consist of £20 million from the British government, to be matched by the same amount from private sources. It will be up to the universities to attract private investors.
In a statement to the Assembly, Mr Farren outlined SPUR's main objective of strengthening research of international standing.
The universities will submit proposals on possible projects by the autumn, with funding allocated in November by the Northern Ireland Higher Education Council assisted by an international panel of experts headed by Sir Kenneth Bloomfield.
"Our research base is vital to our economic prospects and today's announcement is a real step forward towards a better future for everyone in Northern Ireland. It will help our universities, which are already renowned for the quality of their research, to develop even further and turn economic potential into reality," Mr Farren added.
Welcoming the announcement, the Vice-Chancellor of Queen's, Prof George Bain, said the package would make a big contribution to underpinning the new knowledge-based economy.
"Since Northern Ireland is characterised by small and medium-size businesses who have to rely heavily on the two universities for R&D, this package is particularly significant," he said.
The UU Vice-Chancellor, Prof Gerry McKenna, said SPUR marked the first step in reversing chronic underfunding which had plagued the North's universities for many years.
