£10 million for world class learning, teaching and research facility at Tremough

A £10 million investment in innovative learning, teaching and research facilities at the Tremough Campus in Penryn 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 pioneering 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 (Regional Development Agency), and a combined investment of almost £2 million from UCF and UoE.

UoE and UCF, who are founding partners in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) - a unique initiative to promote regional economic regeneration through Higher Education - share and jointly manage the Tremough Campus in an arrangement that is unique in the UK.

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).

With a current combined UoE/UCF population of approximately 4,000 students at the Tremough Campus, it is estimated that these significant developments will result in an increase of around 1,000 students by 2016.

The Exchange increases the capacity of the existing Learning Resource Centre (LRC) at Tremough. A ‘social street' will run through the building to provide a series of informal learning environments and link the existing LRC to a range of distinctive new spaces that reflect the needs of 21st century students - from a collaborative lecture theatre and learning lab for ideas exploration to ‘eddy' spaces for small group learning and exhibition areas for display.

"The Exchange will be the kind of space where conversations begin in lecture theatres and carry on in informal settings; where people gather spontaneously as well as intentionally; where students study and reflect as well as receive information and support," explained UCF's Rector & Chief Executive, Professor Anne Carlisle. "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."

Steve Smith, UoE Vice Chancellor & Chief Executive, said: "This exciting new development is a vital step forward for the Tremough Campus. It will raise facilities to a new level, improving the quality of the student experience and providing a cutting-edge resource for learning. Alongside our £30 million Environment & Sustainability Institute, it will help us fulfil our ambitions to create a world class centre for study, research and enterprise around the theme of sustainability."

Sir Alan Langlands, HEFCE Chief Executive, added: "We share the vision of University College Falmouth and the University of Exeter to create a world-class campus for Cornwall. This investment is an important contribution towards that vision: enhancing the student experience through the expansion of the student learning and resource facilities on the Tremough Campus."

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, said: "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."

"CUC is very happy to hear that plans for these superb facilities on the Tremough Campus have been given the go ahead," added Dr Sue Brownlow, Director of the Combined Universities in Cornwall. "The Exchange project is another prominent example of how the Combined Universities can work together to grow higher education provision in Cornwall. As one of only a handful of shared campuses in the UK, Tremough continues to lead the way in demonstrating how collaboration between institutions can provide an enhanced student experience, in this case making sure students in Cornwall have access to the very best of learning environments."

The Exchange building, due to be ready for occupancy in August 2012, has been designed to a BREEAM Excellent rating - a measure of environmental sustainability - and will feature natural lighting and ventilation.

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Jilly Easterby, Head of Public Affairs, University College Falmouth. Tel: 01326 213792/07825 420690. Email: jilly.easterby@falmouth.ac.uk

Dan Williams, Press Officer, University of Exeter. Tel: 01392 722062. Email: D.D.Williams@exeter.ac.uk

Clare Morgan, Media Relations Manager for the Convergence Partnership Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Tel: 01872 223439/07973 813647. Email: cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

Editors' notes:

About Convergence:

In Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly the Convergence programmes are made up of European Regional Development Fund (£374 million) and European Social Fund (£153 million) Convergence Programmes will run until 2013.

Convergence helpline telephone: 0800 0280120

For further information visit: www.convergencecornwall.com

About UCF's Performance Centre:

UCF's merger with Dartington College of Arts in 2008 created a new institution focusing on the expansion of Falmouth's expertise in Art, Design and Media and Dartington's expertise in Dance, Music, Theatre, Art and Writing. The Dartington-based courses have now relocated to an impressive £19M Performance Centre at the Tremough Campus in Penryn, funding by the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) Convergence Programme, the South West Regional Development Agency's Single Pot Fund and the Higher Education Funding Council for England's Strategic Development Fund.

The Performance Centre is the latest phase in UCF's ambition to create a new specialist Arts University in Cornwall by 2013/2014 that will be unrivalled in the South West.

This exceptional new facility includes a high-end recording studio complex that is resourced to support radical electro-acoustic and electronic music; dance rehearsal and performance studios with harlequin sprung floors; high-spec theatre and music spaces with sophisticated acoustic architecture; innovative sound and lighting technology; and numerous practice and rehearsal studios.

As well as providing outstanding resources for teaching and learning, these facilities are also available for hire for a wide range of uses from community initiatives to corporate events.

A vibrant programme of contemporary public performance will be staged at the Performance Centre all year round for the enjoyment of the wider community under the banner of Platform.

For further information, visit www.falmouth.ac.uk/performancecentre and www.falmouth.ac.uk/platform

About UoE's Environment & Sustainability Institute:

The Environment & Sustainability Institute (ESI) is a University of Exeter project to create a £30M research centre at its Cornwall Campus in Penryn. It is at the heart of the University's aim to create a world class research centre which puts Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly at the forefront of adapting successfully to the challenges of environmental and climate change. This leading centre is expected to create at least 800 jobs in the region. The investment includes almost £23M from the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) Convergence Programme and £6.6M investment from the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA).

For further information, visit www.exeter.ac.uk

About UCF's Academy for Innovation & Research:

UCF's Academy for Innovation & Research (AIR) will benefit businesses in Cornwall with innovative ideas and high growth potential.

This £9M project, funded by the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) Convergence programme, the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), will bring specialist expertise in the areas of sustainable design and the digital economy to enable innovative Cornish companies to achieve their full potential by developing new products and services, new routes to market, new relationships with each other plus ready access to investors and suppliers, regionally, nationally and internationally.

Applied research on topics such as future transport solutions, energy challenges, eco-town developments, the ageing population, the potential of Next Generation Broadband, and questions of digital inclusion, health and wellbeing will all create growth opportunities for creative and ambitious businesses in Cornwall.

Businesses will also be able to access specialist equipment such as machinery for rapid prototyping and concept design in order to realise their ideas.

A new AIR building will open at the Tremough Campus in spring 2012. Among its many innovative features will be an experimental space incorporating collaboration and visualisation software. This will help businesses to generate new ideas, scope new projects and collaborate with their clients in new ways.

For further information, please visit www.falmouth.ac.uk/air

About the South West RDA:

The South West RDA works for and promotes a modern, stronger and more resilient economy across South West England. Our work involves creating better jobs, successful businesses, more prosperous cities, towns and villages within an economy that uses less carbon and will still be thriving in 20, 50 and 100 years time. The Government has announced that regional development agencies throughout England, including the South West, will be abolished by March 2012.

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