MAJOR INVESTMENT IN NEW SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

Major investment in new School of Engineering

A further cash boost has recently been announced to support the University of Lincoln's new School of Engineering.

East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA), through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Lincolnshire County Council (LCC), has confirmed an investment of more than £3m in the new facility. This is in addition to the £4.3m grant from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) announced in July and major investment by Siemens. 

The School will be the first purpose-built Engineering School to be created in the UK for more than 20 years and this additional funding will enable the creation of an Engineering Hub that will work closely with engineering businesses.

Diana Gilhespy, emda's Executive Director of Regeneration, said: "Advanced engineering is an important sector in the Lincolnshire and East Midlands economy, and it forms a large part of the county"s employment base. This is why we are investing in the construction of the Engineering Hub, which we anticipate will create 129 jobs and enable up to 68 new businesses improve their performance within the first two years of the facility opening. By bringing businesses and the University closer together, we also aim to boost innovation and help smaller engineering companies get the right support to develop new products and stay ahead of their competitors.”

Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in the region will benefit significantly from the Hub, which will focus on engaging with employers in technology transfer, research and development and knowledge exchange, in order to enhance business competitiveness and the regional economy. 

It will bring together the academic expertise of the University of Lincoln and the industrial know-how of one of the world's leading industrial power and energy providers, Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Limited, and a portfolio of leading national and international industrial partners.

Professor Paul Stewart, Head of the School of Engineering, said: "The founding of the new School is extremely timely, addressing the fundamental issues of power and energy production, energy conversion and distribution, and ultimately delivery of a low carbon economy.