Northern Ireland construction firm GRAHAM has been awarded a £39m contract to build two new state-of-the-art buildings for Queen's University Belfast.

The buildings will be located beside the Belfast City Hospital as part of the planned 8,500m2 iREACH Health facility, which is a new £64m integrated clinical research innovation centre led by Queen's University Belfast.

Planning permission for the facility was granted in March, with the main construction work at the site due to start this month.

iREACH plans to be operating from the new facilities by 2026, accommodating up to 360 staff.

It will provide major health, social and economic benefits for Northern Ireland, making clinical trials more effective, efficient and interconnected whilst supporting the improved health of the population.

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The facility will be developed in partnership with Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and Health and Social Care Research and Development Division.

The project is funded by the Northern Ireland Executive and UK Government through the Belfast Region City Deal and part funded by Queen's University Belfast.

Over the lifetime of the project, it's estimated iREACH Health will provide more than 1,000 new, permanent jobs and over £750m additional GDP for the region.

Gary Holmes, Regional Managing Director at GRAHAM Building North, said: "We are delighted to be working with Queen's on the new iREACH Health facility, which will help define the future of clinical research in Northern Ireland.

"Our team is committed to delivering a state-of-the-art space that matches the ambitious goals of Queen's and its partners. With our team currently delivering Belfast's first-ever Passivhaus-certified student accommodation on Dublin Road on behalf of Queen's, we have a long-standing relationship with the University that we look forward to building on."

Professor Judy Bradley, Director of iREACH Health, added: "The appointment of GRAHAM marks a significant milestone in realising our vision for a revolutionary clinical trial research facility.

"iREACH Health will harness Queen's and Northern Ireland's research strengths and create a cutting-edge environment to improve patient outcomes, accelerate inclusive innovation, and support our health and life sciences sector in achieving local and global impact."