A £10 million investment in innovative learning, teaching and research facilities has been announced for the Tremough Campus in Penryn.
The cash boost will help the University of Exeter (UoE) and University College Falmouth (UCF) to achieve their shared vision to create a “world class campus” for Cornwall.
Named The Exchange, this resource will be created as a result of £4.37 million from HEFCE (the Higher Education Funding Council for England), £3 million from the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) Convergence Programme, £1 million from South West RDA, and a combined investment of almost £2 million from UCF and UoE.
The Exchange will support the growth of the student population on campus following three other recent multi million pound investments at the Penryn site – UCF’s recently launched Performance Centre and emerging Academy for Innovation & Research (AIR), and UoE’s Environment & Sustainability Institute (ESI).
UCF’s rector and chief executive, Professor Anne Carlisle, explained: “In an increasingly competitive market, the quality of learning resources will be a key element in student choice. It is therefore vital that we offer facilities that provide the best possible student experience and reflect UCF’s determination to become one of the top five multi-arts universities in the world.”
Carleen Kelemen, director of the Convergence Partnership Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: “The Exchange is a further investment of the ERDF Convergence Programme to continue to reshape and transform the future economy of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The combined development of the three new CUC projects will help to accelerate the growth of higher value economic activity through the talents of our people and access to leading global knowledge.”
Chris Garcia, South West RDA director of people and skills, added: “The Exchange is a truly exciting and innovative project which will increase the facilities and student spaces available within the CUC. It will also help reinforce the previous investments made in AIR, ESI and the Performance centre enabling the university to provide a world class educational experience as well as seriously increasing the economic impact of the University on the Cornish economy.”
