It’s Good News Friday as we celebrate the fantastic collaboration of Ulster University, Seagate and Dell Technologies during Covid-19!

In recent months, the University, alongside the Springtown-based Seagate and Dell, have combined their research and data storage capabilities in a partnership which will allow advanced analyses of Covid-19 patient data.

The Ulster University research team, based in Magee, will examine large volumes of medical datasets to establish if there are links between Covid-19, genetic make-up, and the severity of the disease. The findings will inform decisions around drug treatments for those with severe symptoms and possibly long Covid, as well as providing an insight into how genes may influence vaccine efficacy.

Alongside this, data storage company, Seagate, and multinational IT company Dell Technologies have delivered the infrastructure required to store patient information for this major research project at the NI Centre for Stratified Medicine based at C-TRIC on the Altnagelvin hospital campus.

This collaborative partnership is a brilliant initiative and a further indication of the North West’s growing reputation as a leader in key sectors, like health and life sciences, tech, AI and more. Spurred on by the City Deal, we can’t wait to hear of more life-changing projects being set into action right here.

Professor of Genomics, Tony Bjourson, Director of the Northern Ireland Centre for Stratified Medicine at C-TRIC at Altnagelvin, and the Project Lead on the UU THRIVE City Deal project said:

“This collaboration, which came about when Seagate and Dell Technologies responded to our call for assistance, offers a good example of how research transforms lives and how technology acts as a catalyst for innovation. We will pursue more of these kind of collaborations through the Derry and Strabane City Deal in the years ahead through data analytics via CARL and health innovation via THRIVE and of course industry partnerships such as this one will be key. For now, as our work during Covid19 continues, we are so grateful to partners such as Seagate and Dell Technologies for coming together in this way.”

Fergus O’Donnell, Plant Manager and Site Lead at Seagate said:

“This collaboration involved a huge effort from the teams at Seagate, Dell Technologies and Ulster University working together to overcome the many logistical and organisational arrangements to help deliver a complete solution. It is important to support these advanced analytics capabilities which enable progress in this vital area of research and bring benefits for local and global communities”.

Jason Ward, Vice-President and Managing Director, Dell Technologies Ireland said:

“We’re proud to build on our strong partnership with Ulster University through technology and expertise to help their researchers unlock insights into COVID-19 and uncover treatment options for those impacted by the virus. With the latest Dell Technologies storage systems and back-end infrastructure, the team at Ulster University will have immediate access to the data and applications needed to drive their research forward.”