21 June 2013

Gannochy Trust awards £500,000 to medical school upgrade

image shows how the new Lecture Theatre 1 will look

The upgrading of one of the UK's leading Medical Schools at the University of Dundee has received a major boost with a £500,000 award from The Gannochy Trust.

The generous donation from the Trust will allow the refurbishment and modification of Lecture Theatre 1 at the Medical School's Ninewells campus, which provides one of the main learning spaces for students.

Professor Andrew Morris, Dean and Professor of Medicine at Dundee, said, 'This is a tremendous boost to our efforts to ensure we are providing one of Europe's most innovative and progressive medical education facilities at Dundee, and we are extremely grateful to The Gannochy Trust for their support.

'The University and the NHS have made significant investments to modernise our facilities but we also rely on external support. Awards like this one from The Gannochy Trust will ensure we can provide a state-of-the-art learning environment for medical students for many years to come.'

Mr Mark Webster, past Chairman of The Gannochy Trust and a current Trustee, said, 'The Gannochy Trust is delighted to support this ambitious project which will transform the teaching facilities at the University of Dundee's Medical School and provide medical students with improved resources for their training.'

The Trust's donation will support a major redesign and refurbishment of the largest auditorium at the Ninewells campus, creating a 250 capacity theatre with seating for groups of six in the lower level and standard rows of chairs upstairs - delivering flexibility for team-based learning, interactive teaching, presentations and symposiums. Advanced audiovisual equipment will also include live links to surgical areas. Work is scheduled for completion by November 2013.

The redevelopment of lecture theatres forms part of a wider transformation of the Medical School. Around £11 million is being invested in the major upgrade so that Dundee's facilities are amongst Europe's most technologically advanced.

The completed first of three phases included the development of a world-class clinical simulation area that allows students to practice in a real healthcare environment without ever risking patients. This facility was opened in November 2011 and supported by a major grant from the Dow Memorial Trust.

Phase two includes a new-build development on the site at Ninewells which opened in February 2012, on time and to budget. This stunning glass-fronted building - close to the hospital main entrance - houses the Medical School library and learning centre and the eLearning facility, plus zones for small groups and self-directed study. Work is currently underway to complete the office space within the new building for the Medical School administration and NHS Education Scotland, which should be complete in the autumn of 2013.

Phase three of the project focuses on the lecture theatres and main reception area concourse. During the summer of 2014, two smaller lecture theatres will be combined to form a second large auditorium with over 200 seats.

Funds have been committed to the project by the University, NHS Tayside, the Tayside NHS Endowment Board Fund, and NHS Education for Scotland. Funds have also been raised from the Wolfson Foundation, the Dow Memorial Trust, the Leng Trust, the Mathew Trust, the Hugh Fraser Foundation, the Stagecoach Group Charitable Committee and the Nicoll Charitable Foundation. Fundraising has also been successful fromMedical School alumni and the general public

The goal is to have all phases completed by 2014/15.

The Medical School at Dundee has an international reputation for the quality of its education and is rated among the top UK Medical Schools. It is also renowned for research excellence, particularly in the areas of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, neuroscience and skin diseases.

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Gannochy Trust was founded in 1937 by Arthur Kinmond Bell, known as A K Bell, for charitable and public purposes for the benefit of the Community of Perth and its immediate environs as a direct result of his family's successful whisky distilling business.

A K Bell's philanthropy has been developed into one of the more substantial grant-making trusts in Scotland. Originally, the Trust contributed to worthy charitable causes solely within Perth and its immediate environs. In 1967 a Scheme of Alterations was approved by the Court of Session to expand its grant-making footprint to the whole of Scotland, but with a preference for Perth and its environs. The Trust has made significant contributions to a wide variety of projects across Scotland over many years, ranging from major national flagship projects to smaller, but nonetheless important, community projects.

Further information may be found at www.gannochytrust.org.uk

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