Committee Visits Top Cancer Research Centre

The Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Employment and Learning today visited one of the UK’s premier cancer research centres. Queen’s University of Belfast Centre for Cancer Research & Cell Biology (CCRCB) is part of a UK-wide group pioneering national and international progress in bowel, oesophagus and breast cancers.

After the visit to the CCRCB, the Committee was shown the City Hospital’s Cancer Centre and saw how local research was resulting in ground-breaking clinical trials and providing high value employment in the region.

Chairperson of the Committee, Basil McCrea MLA said: “Not only is the CCRCB part of Cancer Research UK’s leading research institutions, benefiting local people, it is also bringing high value, innovative jobs to our local economy.

“The knowledge economy, of which we are a growing part, is vital if Northern Ireland is to compete on the national and world stage. This Centre is an exemplar of this.

“The highly skilled professionals who work as part of the CCRCB and also contribute to treatment in the City Hospital’s Cancer Centre are creating a real opportunity for Northern Ireland to be viewed as an important place to do research.

“We can no longer rely only on the industries which served us so well in the past--and work being carried out here puts Northern Ireland on the map. Even more important, having these local research centres provides synergies for local employment working in technical areas such as computing.

“We must do all we can to encourage this kind of high skill sector.”

ENDS

The Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Employment and Learning on a visit to the Queen's University of Belfast's Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology. Pictured from left: Chairperson of the Committee, Basil McCrea MLA; Director of the Centre, Professor Dennis McCance and Committee member Michelle Gildernew MP MLA.

Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Employment and Learning talk to a researcher on a visit to the Queen's University of Belfast's Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology. Pictured from left: Jim Allister, MLA; Alastair Ross, MLA; Chairperson of the Committee Basil McCrea MLA; Sammy Douglas MLA; Sandra Overend MLA and Michelle Gildernew MP MLA.