Friday, 19 December 2014

Advanced Engineering Centre coming to Brighton

This is the first look at a new Advanced Engineering Centre being established at the University of Brighton

The Centre, backed with £5m from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), will provide cutting-edge facilities for mechanical, automotive and aerospace engineering to educate the next generation of professional engineers.

The Centre will incorporate the university's Centre for Excellence in Internal Combustion Research which earlier received £7m Government backing. This Centre of Excellence is being established in partnership with Shoreham-based Ricardo, world leaders in technical and environmental consultancy and specialising in the development of low carbon vehicle technology. Joint collaborative projects include the search for the near-zero emissions internal combustion engine.

The Advanced Engineering Centre is integral to the university's £150m redevelopment scheme for its Moulsecoomb campus which includes Preston Barracks, a partnership scheme between the university and Brighton & Hove City Council.

Professor Andrew Lloyd, Dean of the university's College of Life, Health and Physical Sciences, said, ‘We are delighted with the news that HEFCE will provide £5m towards this new facility to complement the university's ongoing investment to support the expansion of engineering at Brighton. This will allow us to establish world-class specialist teaching facilities to alongside the state-of-the-art research base we are establishing with our long term partner Ricardo.

‘These facilities will provide a unique opportunity for our undergraduate and postgraduate students to study alongside our researchers and engineers from Ricardo and undertake industrially relevant projects at the forefront of engineering within the research facilities.

‘In addition to inspiring more young people to study STEM subjects, we aim to support their transition from education to employment through our career-focussed approach to learning in this new and exciting educational environment.’

The Advanced Engineering Centre, based on the University's Moulsecoomb Campus, will include new and refurbished accommodation and facilities for hi-tech, design-led manufacturing to support other companies in the region. Work is expected to start in June next year, for completion in November 2016.