Official opening of the Usher Building
At a ceremony on Thursday morning the £50 million Usher Building at Edinburgh's Bioquarter will be declared officially open.
This is a new centre where space will be made available to students, staff, partners and the public to collaborate on health based projects. The co-location offered in the new building is regarded as key in dealing with healthcare challenges.
The VIPs attending will include WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, will be joined by the Rt Hon Ian Murray MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, and Maree Todd MSP, Minister for Drug and Alcohol Policy and Sport, alongside University staff and students.
During the ceremony, Dr Tedros will receive the University's inaugural Edinburgh Prize for Global Health Impact in recognition of the WHO's work to provide children across the world access to life-saving vaccinations.
In this building more than 900 researchers, health and care providers and industry leaders will work together harnessing data to improve healthcare and address its urgent challenges. The work carried on there will speed up innovations in data to help solve problems of an ageing population and of childhood wellbeing.
The pioneering research will use AI to improve surgical outcomes and will work on developing routine retina imaging for its diagnostic potential.
One initiative called DataLoch is a partnership between University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian which uses anonymised data from patients' everyday use of the health and social care services to investigate many issues including service improvement. More recently, DataLoch is supporting researchers to access health and care data linked to other data sets to build a clearer picture of the links between health and social factors.
Genetic studies of populations in Shetland, Orkney and the Hebrides are also yielding vital insights into cancer genetics, while health data experts track population trends to enhance prevention, diagnosis and care delivery across communities.
A state-of-the-art hub for interdisciplinary research and innovation, it joins a growing health innovation ecosystem in Scotland's capital. Designed by architects Hassell, with key engineering by KJ Tait and Woolgar Hunter, the Usher Building was built by principal contractor McLaughlin & Harvey.
The building was recently highly commended in the European Healthcare Design Awards and is the first new University of Edinburgh building to rely solely on efficient air source heat pump heating, avoiding direct use of fossil fuels.
Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, said: 'The opening of the Usher Building is a major step forward for the University of Edinburgh – and wider society – in reimagining how we improve health and social care. By bringing together researchers, clinicians and industry experts, we have created a dynamic hub that will drive innovation for the benefit of all. It is inspiring to shine a light on the outstanding work underway here and, together with the United Nations and many other key partners, we remain committed to advancing these critical efforts to improve lives.'
Rt Hon Ian Murray MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, said: 'I am very much looking forward to attending the opening of this fantastic state-of-the-art facility alongside so many eminent guests from the health and social care sectors. Backed by £48.5 million of UK Government funding, the Usher Institute provides an inspiring environment where academics, healthcare professionals and industry partners can collaborate on pioneering research and development to tackle challenges faced by our communities and improve well-being. This is our Plan for Change in action, working with partners to deliver economic growth and a decade of national renewal.'
Maree Todd MSP, Minister for Drug and Alcohol Policy and Sport, said: 'The opening of the University of Edinburgh's new Usher Building marks a significant step forward in health innovation. The innovations by the Usher Institute will help renew the NHS in Scotland, and, as a WHO Collaborating Centre, transform healthcare around the globe. This development will drive growth across the region, which is why the Scottish Government is proud to support it through our Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal investment.
'I warmly welcome Dr Tedros to Scotland and congratulate him on his well-deserved Edinburgh Prize for Global Health Impact, awarded in recognition of the many children whose lives have been saved by the WHO vaccines programme.'
This building is one of six university hubs which make up the Data Driven initiative which is an integral part of the £1.55 billion Edinburgh and East of Scotland City Region Deal signed in 2016.
©Hufton Crow
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