A new €34 million human biology building has been opened at NUI Galway.
The facility will be used to teach and train medical students, as well as for research into a whole range of health issues.
The five-storey facility will bring the disciplines of Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the university under the one roof for the first time.
It will be the main location for undergraduate and postgraduate medical teaching, while science, biomedical science and engineering students will also learn there.
In addition, the building will also be the location for cutting-edge scientific and medical research by academics from across the campus.
It is hoped that the new centre will enable researchers at NUI Galway to further develop the cluster of biomedical research groups that operate from the university.
Among the areas of research that will be explored there will be regenerative medicine and stem cell research, cancer biology with an emphasis on breast and prostate cancer, as well as biomechanics and biomaterials.
The building has a floor area of 8,200m² and is located on the campus close to the University Hospital.
It was funded by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and NUI Galway, with support from the European Investment Bank, and marks the end of the capital projects programme undertaken by the university some decades ago.
Other facilities opened in recent years include a new engineering building and the new biomedical sciences building.
It was designed by award-winning architects, Scott Tallon Walker Architects, in conjunction with international design firm, Building Design Partnership.
Minister for Health Simon Harris opened the building this afternoon.
