RCSI and Trinity College Dublin (TCD) have agreed a new strategic collaborative research partnership in medicine. More ...

The TCD Provost, Dr John Hegarty, and the RCSI chief executive, Mr Michael Horgan, signed the bilateral agreement this week, which will enable their respective institutions to build collaborative and complementary strengths.

The primary focus of this initial partnership concerns medical and biomedical research and will include collaboration in areas such as obstetrics, systems biology, clinical trials and drug discovery among other areas.

Commenting on the significance of the partnership, the TCD Head of the School of Medicine and Vice Provost of Medical Affairs, Professor Dermot Kelleher, stated: “This is an exciting development which will significantly enhance synergies in medical and biomedical research between the two medical schools. Furthermore, the close physical proximity will assist in stimulating increased research collaboration.”

Speaking on behalf of the RCSI, the Professor of Molecular Medicine and Director of the RCSI Research Institute, Professor Brian Harvey, said: “The partnership agreement will impact positively on investments by the medical schools of both institutions in education and research, helping both institutions to work together and maximise efficiency in joint appointments and curriculum.”

This new partnership will build on an existing agreement between Trinity College and the RCSI in the areas of molecular medicine and neuroscience in the context of the Dublin Molecular Medicine Centre.

In addition to this new partnership agreement in these specific research areas, Trinity College and the RCSI will work to develop and implement further complementary research strategies and joint undergraduate and postgraduate school programmes.