Construction work on the £40.5m Aberystwyth Innovation and Enterprise Campus is set to start on 2 July 2018 at Aberystwyth University’s Gogerddan campus near Penrhyncoch.
The Innovation Campus will foster collaboration between business and academia, providing world-leading facilities and expertise for the food and drink, bio-processing and biotechnology sectors.
The construction contract for the ambitious development has been awarded to Willmott Dixon Construction Limited and is expected to take two years to complete.
Professor Elizabeth Treasure, Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University said: “Aberystwyth Innovation and Enterprise Campus is an exceptional development that will bring new industry partnerships and jobs to the region. It is an example of the University working collaboratively to ensure that the excellent research carried out here – particularly within our Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) – acts as a catalyst for innovative practice which has an impact on the wider economy.
“We are grateful to the Welsh Government for their support through the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) and to BBSRC, part of UK Research and Innovation, for their support, as well as to Ceredigion County Council who have worked with us on infrastructure improvements for the benefit of the area.”
The University and Ceredigion County Council have worked together to deliver highway improvements to widen the road leading to the Campus from the main A4159 crossroads and these works were successfully completed by the County Council in May 2018.
The County Council’s Cabinet member responsible for Economy and Regeneration, Councillor Rhodri Evans said: “Innovation and enterprise are key factors in supporting Ceredigion’s economy to flourish. The Council has worked closely with Aberystwyth University to enable the development to progress and I am delighted to see work beginning. I hope to see many benefits for the whole county after the Campus is established.”
Funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government (£20m), BBSRC – part of UK Research and Innovation (£12m) and Aberystwyth University (£8.5m), the Aberystwyth Innovation and Enterprise Campus will offer a range of high quality facilities to support innovation, enabling commercial enterprises to grow, prosper and drive economic growth in the food and drink, bio-processing and biotechnology sectors throughout Wales and beyond.
Rhian Hayward MBE, Chief Executive Officer for Aberystwyth Innovation and Enterprise Campus said: “As we move into this construction phase we have already received considerable interest from companies in using the facilities in collaboration with Aberystwyth University experts. The Campus development is already showing early promise of its potential to support economic growth amongst entrepreneurs, start-up companies and large industry partners.”
Ian Jones, Director for Willmott Dixon Wales and West added: “We understand the significance of this project to the region and we are proud to be able to help bring the vision of the Aberystwyth Innovation and Enterprise Campus to life. The size and scale of the project is impressive, and highlights the University’s commitment to delivering world class research and innovation facilities.”
Photo: Left to Right:Ian Jones, Director for Wilmott Dixon Wales and West; Professor Elizabeth Treasure, Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University; Professor Chris Thomas, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at Aberystwyth University; Dr Rhian Hayward, Chief Executive Officer at Aberystwyth Innovation and Enterprise Campus; and Jeff Monks, Head of Estate Operations at BBSRC.
Links:
Aberystwyth Innovation and Enterprise Campus
www.aberinnovation.co.uk
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences
www.aber.ac.uk/en/ibers
BBSRC
https://bbsrc.ukri.org
Wales European Funding Office – WEFO
wefo.gov.wales
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