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Irish government funding will enable 50 additional medical students to study at Queen's University, Belfast.

The first 25 places will be available for students from Ireland or Northern Ireland from September 2024.

A further 25 places will be available from September 2025, bringing the total to 50.

The places will be co-funded by the Irish Department of Health and that of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

Students who take up the places will pay the same student contribution rate as their counterparts studying in medical schools in the Republic of Ireland and will commit to applying to take up a position in the Irish Health Service Executive (HSE) as an intern at the end of their studies.

It comes after the Irish government announced new funding worth €800m (£685m) for cross-border projects, including the upgrade of the A5.

An exciting partnership

Irish Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris described the funding as "a really exciting partnership" between the government and Queen's.

He said it recognises "the importance of increasing healthcare graduates across both jurisdictions on the island of Ireland".

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly also welcomed the "cross-border collaboration".

"Increasing the future supply of health care workers is critical to addressing the workforce needs of our health service," he said.

"These 50 additional student places will increase the number of doctors, which is an important step towards meeting future health workforce needs."

Professor Sir Ian Greer, Queen's University Belfast President and Vice-Chancellor, added: "This collaborative approach will serve to benefit the future of healthcare across the island of Ireland, producing a much needed increased number of medically trained graduates for both health services.

"We look forward to receiving applications from both North and South, for our upcoming intakes."