UU Magee Taskforce - meeting minutes - 12 November 2025

Agenda

• Welcome      
• Conflict of Interest   
• Minutes from last meeting
• Chair’s Update
• Programme Business Case
• Progress Report from DfE
• Social License - Introduction
• ‘One Year On’ Progress Report
• Future Work Plan and Engagement
• Any other business                                 
• Date of next meeting                                                   

In attendance

Name	Role
Stephen Kelly (Chair) (SK)	CEO, Manufacturing NI
Nicola Skelly (Vice-Chair) (NS)	Executive Director, Washington Ireland Programme
Prof. Paul Seawright OBE (PS)	Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Ulster University
Emily Smyth (ES)	President, Ulster University Students Union
Gavin Killeen MBE (GK)	Managing Director, Nuprint Technologies Limited
Leo Murphy (LM)	Principal and Chief Executive, North West Regional College
Philip Rodgers (PR) – virtually	Director of Workforce Policy, Department of Health
Steven Lindsay (SL)	Deputy Vice President, Londonderry Chamber of Commerce
Alison Wallace (AW)	Strategy Manager, Waterside Neighbourhood Partnership
Paddy Mackel (PM)	University and College Union
Linda McGuinness (LMG)	Director of Magee Expansion Branch, DfE

Apologies

	John Kelpie (JK)	Chief Executive, Derry City & Strabane District Council
	Dawn McLaughlin (DM)	Non-Executive Director, Invest NI
	Prof. Paul Bartholomew (PB)	Vice-Chancellor, Ulster University
	Moira Doherty (MD)	Deputy Secretary, Skills and Education Group, Department for the Economy
	Paul Hannigan (PH)	Head of College, Atlantic Technological University Donegal
	Mary MacIntyre OBE (MM)	Chartered Town Planner
	John Healy OBE (JH)	Chair, Invest NI
	Ian McKenna (IK)	Principal Officer, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

Welcome

SK opened the meeting and welcomed the attendees. He noted apologies from the members that were unable to attend and welcomed PR online. LMG provided an update on some of the team changes to the Magee Expansion Division, advising that two staff members had recently left and introduced the new members. She also welcomed a staff member from the Social and Regional Economy Division within DfE who would be working closely with the Magee Expansion Division on the development of private sector initiatives.  On behalf of the Taskforce, SK thanked those departing members for their contribution to the work of the Taskforce. 

Conflict of Interest

Members confirmed that there were no conflicts of interest to be declared.

Minutes from Last Meeting

All Taskforce members confirmed they were content, and no amendments were required to the minutes of the previous meeting. The action from the previous meeting to inform CRAM about the established engagement channels between the community and the university has been completed.

Chair’s Update 

SK provided an update on the work that had taken place since September, highlighting that the first phase of the refurbishment of Timber Quay was complete and that the new teaching and learning facilities were now operational. He highlighted the Minister’s visit to open the new facilities earlier this month and thanked NS for attending in his absence. LMG expressed her thanks to Ulster University for completing the renovation in such a short space of time and suggested that Taskforce members visit the space during the next meeting.

Action Point 1: Taskforce to visit Timberquay building during the next in-person meeting.

Reflecting on the start of the university term, SK noted the issues faced by residents and advised that these had since largely settled, with a notable improvement to the parking challenges that had arisen at the time, and that the University had agreed to look at lessons to be learned for next year.

Turning to priorities for the next quarter, SK welcomed Departmental efforts to finalise the Programme Business Case with LMG adding that work continues to secure the necessary revenue and capital funding required as part of the upcoming multi-year budget exercise. LM noted the importance of early dialogue with the Department of Finance, and LMG advised that they have already been in contact. 

On the issue of supporting infrastructure, SK welcomed news that progress had been made on the Shared Island project. PS provided an update on recent discussions with NI Water and Translink and noted the constructive feedback from stakeholders. Given the importance of the wider infrastructure to the success of the overall programme and that expansion was a Programme for Government commitment, SK proposed that a member from the Department for Infrastructure be invited to join the Taskforce to ensure appropriate oversight and input. All members agreed.  

Action Point 2: DfE to invite appropriate representative from the Department for Infrastructure to join the Taskforce.  

Programme Business Case

SK welcomed Susan Lindsay (Strategic Investment Board) to present her update on the progress of the Programme Business Case (PBC). Susan provided an update on progress of each of the five cases; the identified risks; and shared a plan of work to bring the PBC to completion.

Susan advised that in order to monitor and evaluate the outcomes of the programme, the strategic case would need to set out a baseline of the current context within which the University sits. She advised that whilst the Taskforce Report provided a strong business case for the planned expansion, the aim of the strategic case was to challenge the assumptions made in the report by analysing and reconciling the different datasets that had been provided to validate these assumptions, as well as recognise changes in the environment in which the University finds itself.

On the economic case, Susan outlined the process of shortlisting options against the delivery of the spending objectives.  She shared with members the options and some of the challenges in obtaining the necessary data and noted that whilst there had been delays in the preparation of the PBC, that there was no impact on the delivery by the team and the programme was advancing on time which had been demonstrated by the capital achievements to date and the current enrolment figures.

Susan outlined the key risks and dependencies of the programme and their potential impact. Taskforce members discussed the critical importance of additional student accommodation to the success of the expansion. All members agreed that the role of the Taskforce going forward would be to help provide solutions to mitigate future risks to the programme. On the management case, there was discussion amongst members on the governance structure and the need for a mechanism to identify risks to the growth model to facilitate recalibration when needed. LMG advised that there would be a robust governance structure in place which allows for feedback from the Taskforce. She also noted that Gateway Reviews had been scheduled at certain milestones. There is a Gateway Review planned for December 2025, and some members of the Taskforce would be asked to participate.

Susan advised that this programme had been selected as a pilot for the Department’s new evaluation strategy and that work was underway to identify what the measurable outcomes were.  She stated that this would be an extensive piece of work, and that she saw a role for the Taskforce in the monitoring of performance against these agreed outcomes.

SK thanked Susan for her comprehensive update and noted that it was a very thorough and explorative piece of work and provided a level of confidence to him as chair. SL noted that as the programme of work progresses, the risk register would set a strong agenda for the Taskforce. The Taskforce emphasised that the expansion was both a New Decade New Approach and Programme for Government commitment and that the plan as set out in the Taskforce Report must be pursued, adding that the Taskforce were fully committed to helping the Department and University overcome any obstacles to the 10,000-target. 

PR then provided an update on the Department of Health (DoH) commissioned student numbers that feed into the PBC. PR stated that the figures provided for the Taskforce Report were reasonable projections for growth at that time, and that due to budget difficulties and the mechanisms by which DoH places are commissioned, these figures may need to be reviewed as circumstances evolve. He noted that commissioned places from the ROI government and other executive departments are not included in projected figures, and they could provide additional student numbers. PR advised that the multi-year budget would provide a stable three-year projection. Regarding Medicine places, PR noted that DoH do not commission these. He emphasised that the immediate priority is to expand the medical foundation programme, ensuring that all doctors graduating from both Higher Education Institutions have access to a foundation placement, which is key to retaining doctors within Northern Ireland.

LM highlighted the importance of understanding the process by which the Department of Health commissions student numbers. The Taskforce collectively expressed concern regarding the future projections of DoH student places at Magee and agreed that it was important to seek clarity from DoH at a Ministerial level regarding the commitment of expanding Allied Health Profession and Nursing places. LMG advised that a submission was currently being prepared and that the Taskforce would be updated once a response had been received.

Action Point 3: DfE to engage with DoH to provide further information on the process by which the Department of Health commissions student numbers.

Action Point 4: DfE to update the Taskforce upon receipt of a formal response from DoH following the submission.

Progress Update from DfE

LMG gave an update on the work of DfE since the last Taskforce meeting.

Enabling Projects

LMG advised that Stage 1.5 of the Student Incentives research was being reviewed and that Stage 2 would begin in the New Year. She thanked the Private Sector Subgroup for their input to the Private Sector Initiatives draft report, noting that there had been positive feedback and outlined some of the next steps underway so that the findings would be captured in the PBC. Turning to Marketing, she updated members on the recent final report that had been drafted and stated that it was a strong report with some robust recommendations. She noted that Tourism NI was unable to take forward some of the recommendations within the report, but that work was underway by her and her team to identify a suitable lead. The Taskforce agreed that the Council’s remit is destination marketing and while campaign should acknowledge the importance of promoting an attractive location, the marketing strategy should remain focused on Ulster University and specifically on student recruitment for Magee - a proven and successful approach.

Budget 2025/26

LMG provided an overview of the progress of both the capital and revenue business cases, noting that all were on target.

Programme Business Case

LMG stated that as of today, the first draft of the PBC was expected by 28 November. She advised that there were a series of workshops planned over the coming weeks, both internally and externally, to finalise the PBC ahead of Casework Committee. Despite the delay in the delivery of the PBC, LMG stressed that efforts to secure the necessary revenue and capital budget commitments would not be impacted by the delay. There would be a requirement to update these projections on receipt of the PBC.

Gateway Review

LMG advised that a Gateway Review had been scheduled for the second week of December, which would analyse the programme’s overall preparedness and feasibility, the outcome of which the Taskforce would be updated in due course. 

Social License

SK welcomed Stephen McGowan and Jonathon Fulton from the Strategic Investment Board and asked them to present an introduction to Social License.

Stephen informed the group that he and Jonathon worked with Maureen Fox, who had recently been appointed as the Programme’s Social License Lead. Stephen provided some background on the importance of Social License within any major capital project, stating that a recent NI Audit Office Report identified Social License as one of the key barriers to successful delivery and that following this report, the NICS Board endorsed a definition of Social License and recommended that that all projects over £20m require a Social License workstream.

Stephen stated that Social License was referenced many times in the Taskforce Report and Action Plan and commended the Taskforce’s commitment to ensuring the expansion includes community engagement. He advised that SIB would work to reinforce and strengthen those commitments but noted that a more coordinated approach was needed to engage not just with the local community, but all key stakeholders across government. Stephen informed the group that Social License must be built and maintained, becoming a fundamental part of how you do business. 

SK stated that his first engagement as Taskforce Chair was with the Glen Development Initiative, which cemented the importance of doing the expansion in the right way that will make a positive difference to the local community. He commended the commitment of the Taskforce members who volunteered their time to ensure the programme is delivered with the community in mind. AW agreed that Social License is key and noted that a more joined-up approach as to how they engage with the community is required. She advised that residents must be supported but that misinformation should be actively challenged. 

‘One Year On’ Progress Report

Stephen advised that work was underway to produce the ‘One Year On’ progress report and sought the views of the Taskforce on the overall structure and input. There was discussion amongst members and there was agreement that the report must acknowledge both the challenges encountered as well as the success stories, and where there have been delays, an explanation should be provided to demonstrate accountability. SK noted the importance of celebrating the wins but also ensuring an authentic and honest report is produced. 

The Taskforce emphasised the importance of outlining key milestones for the year ahead to keep the public informed, noting that this approach would help foster community buy-in and establish clear targets for the Taskforce, providing a basis for measuring success next year.

LM recommended that personal stories from some key stakeholders from within the community should be captured and relayed within this report as this would make the content both relatable and digestible for the prospective reader. 

SK thanked Stephen and Jonathon for their presentation and stated that he looked forward to seeing the draft report in the coming weeks.

Future Work Plan and Engagement

SK noted the ‘One Year on’ progress report will launch in early January 2026. 

Any other business

No other business.

Date of next meeting

The date of the next meeting was confirmed for 3 December 2025. 

Action Points 

No.	Action Point	Owner	Status
1	Taskforce to visit Timberquay building during the next in-person meeting.	Taskforce
2	DfE to invite appropriate representative from the Department for Infrastructure to join the Taskforce.	DfE
3	DfE to engage with DoH to provide further information on the process by which the Department of Health commissions student numbers.	DfE
4	DfE to update the Taskforce upon receipt of a formal response from DoH following the submission.	DfE