The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance education, training and the co-ordination of research activities in the South East Region, in the area of healthcare and biomedical science.

RCSI has a long association with the region and Waterford Regional Hospital (WRH) is a full teaching hospital of RCSI as designated by the Minister for Health in 1998. RCSI undergraduate medical students gain invaluable experiences on their placements in these hospitals. WIT has a strong tradition in Nursing and Health Sciences education and is considered a leader in these areas with particular strengths in physical activity and population health; the management of fatigue in patients with cancer; vascular health, telehealth triage; addictions and substance misuse; work-related stress amongst health and social care professionals; and improvement science in health care.

WIT and RCSI will act in partnership to promote and support biomedical and healthcare education, training and research through shared appointments, shared educational programmes, and sharing of existing infrastructure. A €4.2 million education facility, co-funded by the HSE/WRH and RCSI, already serves as an education and resource centre for all health and allied health professionals in the region. On top of this, the region is also well served by WIT's Nursing and Health Education facility built at a cost of over €20m.

Commenting on the initiative, Professor Cathal Kelly, CEO of RCSI, stated: "This collaboration with our colleagues in the South East supports the National Strategy for Higher Education. Relations in the South East between our academic, research and clinical care colleagues and institutions will provide a platform to enhance research activities in order to better support the needs of the region". Dr Ruaidhrí Neavyn, President, WIT, said: "We look forward to working with our clinical partners in this region, and our colleagues in RCSI, in order to ensure that the critical areas of clinical education, research and training, which are so vital in supporting high quality care and treatment in the region, are of the highest possible quality."

It is the objective of this collaboration between RCSI, WIT, with the support of the South East hospitals, to move to models of patient care that are built on and around research-intensive learning environments.