UCD has much to be pleased about, according to the President's annual report for the 199899 session.

The highlight of the year was the award last August of £24.5 million for the programme for Research in Third Level Institutions. This provided funding for two leading research institutes on the campus.

The Conway Institute for Bio-molecular and Biomedical research will "harness UCD's depth and strength in a range of scientific and medical re search areas," the report says.

Its main aim will be to identify new targets for drug therapy in human and animal diseases.

The centre, with a price tag of £20 million, will be located alongside the new veterinary faculty building and hospital and when taken together the two facilities represent a £55 million investment in the bio-sciences. The icing on this particular petri-dish doubtless came in September when the Elan corporation decided to relocate its corporate headquarters to Belfield and establish a re search facility there, as well as supporting research programmes.

Social scientists also did well with the establishment of the second institute, for the Study of Social Change (ISSC).

Due for completion in mid-2002, this will be a national centre and resource for social scientists in Ireland where they can conduct research and receive postgraduate training.

The report says the ISSC is intended to "promote interdisciplinary collaboration and exchange of ideas" among researchers from various fields and will further build on research links between social scientists in Ireland and also abroad. The work of the ISSC will be greatly helped by the establishment of the joint UCD and Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) National Social Science Data Archive.

The report describes this as "a major national initiative," saying that "until now Ireland has been one of the few economically-advanced liberal democracies not to have a national social science data archive".

As well as the new veterinary buildings, mentioned above and due to be completed in mid-2002, UCD is continuing its investment in physical infrastructure.

Among the projects completed last year were the new food science extension to the agriculture building and a three-storey extension to the computer science building. Other projects have begun or are at an advanced stage of planning. These include the long-awaited student centre beside the sports centre.

UCD students last year approved a levy to furnish the greater part of the cost for this building. which is expected to be completed in October. UCD commerce graduate Lochlann Quinn provided a £3.5 million endowment for a new undergraduate commerce building, but when exactly the £12 million edifice will be churning out young capitalists is not yet known.

UCD will also be doing its bit to try and alleviate the student housing crisis with a proposed complex comprising of 613 student bedrooms and a separate building with 18 family units. As Ireland's largest university, with student numbers of almost 18,000 in the 1998-99 year, UCD shouldn't have any problem filling them.