Plans for a cross-border medical school shared between the University of Ulster and NUI Galway were unveiled today.
Academics, politicians and medical experts from the north and west of Ireland came together at a conference in Sligo to endorse a proposal which would put the Ulster/Connacht region on Ireland's medical education map.
The universities say the proposal draws on the strengths of both institutions to create a compelling proposition that would open up new opportunities in cross-border healthcare service provision, medical research and economic development, as well as medical education itself.
They said the initiative would also address the problem of attracting GPs to the region, as research showed graduates were more likely to seek employment in the area where they were educated.
Under the link-up NUI Galway and the University of Ulster's Magee campus in Derry would each provide a four-year programme for graduates, with an additional five-year option at Galway.
While the final three years of each programme would be interchangeable, the UU programme would have more emphasis on primary care.
Hospitals and primary care centres involved will include, Derry, Omagh, Enniskillen and Coleraine in the North and Ballinasloe, Mayo, Sligo, Letterkenny and Roscommon in the Republic.
Professor Bernie Hannigan, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation and UU said: "This is a single, highly creative, cost-effective solution to problems that affect people identically, whether in Northern Ireland or in the Republic."
PA