RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) has announced the development of a new state of the art academic and education building on York Street, Dublin 2.

RCSI will invest in the region of €80 million for the development of the facility. Ruairi Quinn, Minister for Education and Skills, visited RCSI on Thursday, 15 May to lay the Foundation Stone for the new medical education facility, with the President of RCSI, Professor Patrick Broe. 

The new RCSI academic and education building will be the largest redevelopment project in the City Centre in recent years. The building will comprise a state-of-the-art surgical and clinical training suite containing a flexible wet lab, mock operating theatre, clinical training wards, standardised patients rooms and task training rooms. It will also include a 540-seat auditorium, a library spanning three floors with 500 study spaces, a sports hall and fitness suite. 

Speaking at the laying of the Foundation Stone, Mr Ruairi Quinn said, “RCSI continues to make an invaluable and unique contribution to higher education in Ireland. This new state-of-the-art facility will enhance RCSI’s capacity to deliver outstanding medical education and training and will further strengthen its deserved global reputation as a leader in its field.” 

Work on the site on York Street will begin in September this year and the building is due for completion in September 2016; in time for the new academic year. The project will create approximately 500-600 jobs over the course of the development.

Professor Cathal Kelly, RCSI CEO/Registrar said: “The College will fund the development of the building through savings accrued from student fees, philanthropic donations, rental income from a number of properties the College owns in the city centre and a loan.

“The new academic and education building will be student centred and will promote the development of the RCSI community at the heart of the city. The building will provide students with the opportunity to study in a modern, inspiring and ambitious medical sciences and surgical training facility.”

Professor Patrick Broe, RCSI President said: “RCSI has expanded to become one of the leading health sciences institutions in Ireland. Any third level institution like RCSI has to continually invest in its facilities and its people. We are really excited about this new development which will bring medical education to a new level.”

The building will be modern, practical and sophisticated and has been designed to be energy efficient and environmentally responsible.

RCSI educates approximately 2,100 undergraduates, 1800 postgraduates and trainees annually and employs more than 1000 staff in Dublin. RCSI remits circa €20m in taxes each year to the Exchequer between PAYE, PRSI, VAT and other tax payments.

The College generates €65m of direct export earnings, in the form of student fees, with an additional €20m spent by non-EU students on living costs in Ireland.
Since 2000 RCSI has spent €67m of its own funds on capital and building projects in Ireland, including an Education and Research Centre at Beaumont Hospital, York House, an Education Centre at Connolly Hospital, a new medical education building in Sandyford and a new medical education building on the site of Waterford Regional Hospital. It spends €11.5m annually on funding clinical education posts, facilities and staff in its teaching hospitals.