New Universities Centre in for planning

A NEW purpose-built centre is to be installed at the Innovation Birmingham Campus to act as a one-stop-centre for companies and organisations looking to liaise with Birmingham’s five universities.

A planning application has been submitted for the new building, which will be called The Universities Centre. It will be built on land within Innovation Birmingham’s Faraday Wharf site by Thomas Vale Construction.

Innovation Birmingham will work with Aston University, the University of Birmingham, Birmingham City University, Newman University and University College Birmingham to drive the programme.

AHR Architects has spent three months preparing the planning application, following the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) award of a £2.49m Local Growth Fund grant for the capital project in June this year. Subject to planning approval, the new facility will be open in August 2016.

The Universities Centre will create an additional 5,812 sq ft of enterprise space and operate as a detached extension to the Faraday Wharf building, which was completed in 2001 and is fully let.

Over half of the space in the new facility will be dedicated to flexible co-working space. The remainder of the space is purpose-designed for training sessions and events. The centre will feature state-of-the-art communications equipment, and all five universities in Birmingham will have a high definition video conferencing suite installed as part of the project.

The Universities Centre is the second of five new developments totalling £40m planned on the Innovation Birmingham Campus.

The first – iCentrum – is a 42,149 sq ft technology incubation and collaboration building, which will open in March 2016.

Dr David Hardman, CEO of Innovation Birmingham said: “I am delighted that a planning application has been lodged for Innovation Birmingham’s dedicated centre for university engagement. It will provide the city region with a catalytic facility, creating a novel edge in how we can help to support start-ups and growing SME businesses.

“While Birmingham’s five universities already run a range of initiatives to engage with business, we will promote more active engagement, as well as coordinate specific, bespoke programmes that will enable SMEs that have never thought of collaborating with a university to see how it could add value.”

The business case for the new centre is based on international evidence which suggests that true connectivity and communication between universities and business can add 8-10% in increased, sustained growth.

The Universities Centre is intended to reduce the perceived and actual barriers to effective collaboration between early-stage businesses and local universities.  The aim is to promote SME business growth through enhanced engagement.

Michael Carr, Programme Delivery Director for GBSLEP said: “Having a dedicated centre where SMEs and researchers, staff and students from the five local universities can meet and collaborate on projects will be a new asset for the city region.

“The technology and digital sector is one of the GBSLEP’s target growth areas, and this £2.94m Local Growth Fund grant award will lead to many new relationships and projects being forged year on year, which will contribute to the regional economy.”

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