£3.75 million funding for new world class Life Sciences teaching lab
This substantial competitive award is a great success for Keele and will provide the funding to build a new, state-of-the-art, multi-user Life Sciences teaching laboratory to provide world class facilities for our students and to underpin our ambitious growth plans in Life Sciences.
Keele University has been successful in its bid to receive a share of £200 million funding for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teaching capital projects during 2015-16.
Keele plans to use the £3,750,000 it has been awarded to build a large new, state-of-the-art, multi-user Life Sciences teaching laboratory on the University campus.
The University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Foskett, said: “This substantial competitive award is a great success for Keele and reflects our very significant growth in STEM student numbers and applications in recent years. It will provide the funding to build a new, state-of-the-art, multi-user Life Sciences teaching laboratory to provide world class facilities for our students and to underpin our ambitious growth plans in Life Sciences and further significant growth in student numbers STEM subjects more generally”
HEFCE, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, is investing £200 million to support an increase in high-quality science, technology, engineering and mathematics students. The scheme is intended to ensure that higher education responds effectively to the increase in demand for STEM studies by developing facilities that will support an increased flow of highly employable graduates into industry.
The successful projects will support growth across a wide range of science, engineering and technology subjects. They include new provision in Chemistry and Physics, which declined during the last decade. Many support new collaborations with industry and sharing of space between subjects to support innovative teaching and improve efficiency.
The projects were recommended by an external panel, which was chaired by Professor Lesley Yellowlees (Provost of Science and Engineering at the University of Edinburgh and until recently President of the Royal Society of Chemistry), and included former vice-chancellors, industry representatives, and estates and equalities experts.
Madeleine Atkins, Chief Executive of HEFCE, said:
‘This funding is badly needed by universities and colleges to meet the increased interest in science and engineering. It will also ensure that students benefit from state-of-the-art equipment and laboratories, and are thereby equipped for the workplace of the 21st century.
‘I am particularly pleased to see successful projects across all parts of the country, and the degree to which institutions are focusing their investment to support their local economies and key industry partners.’
Vince Cable, Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, said:
‘Inspiring young people to take up STEM courses is vital to the success of the UK economy. This investment will mean world-class teaching facilities to build tomorrow's skilled workforce. It's just one way we are ensuring the UK remains a world leader in science and research, as set out in this week's Science and Innovation strategy.’