The Ulster University says more funding is needed if the expansion of Derry’s medical school is to meet the future demand for doctors in the North of Ireland.
The school at Magee campus opened three years ago and takes in 70 students each year.
The expansion of the campus is one of the main projects of the City Deal for Derry.
Ulster University vice-chancellor Prof Paul Bartholomew said more government money is needed to fully maximise the expansion plans.
“We do feel there is an extra capital ask to be made of government and that is the right thing to do at this stage,” he told a special meeting of Derry City and Strabane District Council on Monday.
Under the city deal plans, a new state of the art building is proposed for the school.
Councillors were told there are currently four options for the relocation, with the most ambitious seeing a move to a new 10,000 square metre building.
Prof Bartholomew said a less expansive and expensive option can now progress with funding from existing monies.
But the more ambitious plan would include research space, and capacity for an increase in medical student numbers – the only option to do so.
He said, that maximum expansion option was “the right one for Northern Ireland”.
Magee campus at the Ulster University in Derry
He added: “It would seem to be a missed opportunity to be building a building on our campus and then to under build it.”
Councillors were told he Ulster University has spent much of the last year lobbying government for additional ftunding.
Prof Bartholomew said as part of that process UU has also indicated it would also “put in additional monies”.
Councillors heard the initial scale of the project has had to be reassessed because of rising costs and inflation in recent years.
He assured councillors that the university “will as a minimum” deliver the “affordable option”.
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