Coventry and Warwickshire’s two universities and their continued development will be the focus of a major European event this month.
The University of Warwick and Coventry University are investing more than £1 billion over the next five years on a range of academic, commercial and accommodation buildings.
That investment in facilities has played a key part in the two universities winning a string of awards which saw the Sunday Times/Times University of the Year and Modern University of the Year awards won by two institutions in the same city for the first time in their history.
Major projects including the Science and Health Building, the Gosford Street public realm improvement works and the new Bishop Gate student accommodation scheme in Coventry, and the National Automotive Innovation Centre (NAIC) and a new conference centre at the University of Warwick, all of which are due to come on line in the next 18 months while both have more major developments in the pipeline.
The universities are attending the MIPIM property investment and development show in France between March 15-18 and will appear in a panel debate on how higher education has helped sustain the development industry while also driving skills and improving the reputation of their areas.
Les Ratcliffe, Chairman of the Coventry and Warwickshire Place board and a member of the Coventry and Warwickshire MIPIM Partnership, said: “Both Coventry and Warwick are outstanding examples of how universities have not only striven to improve on an academic front, but have shown great ambition for their respective campuses and have continued to set the standard in forging links with industry.
“You only have to look at the two campuses to see their level of development and that has a massive knock-on effect for our city and region. Coventry University has worked closely with Coventry City Council to drive up the quality of design and development in the city centre and everyone benefits from those improvements.
“That will only continue when the council moves its headquarters, and the university takes over and develops its existing site.
“The continued development, coupled with strong links to industry, has led to huge investment. The NAIC at the University of Warwick, for example, is a £150 million development, which will see academic and industrial R&D teams working together. Jaguar Land Rover and Tata are major investors of the scheme, again underlining how closely the academic and the commercial are working.
“Not only has that level of expansion driven universities across the UK forward, but it has also been a major source of work for the development and construction industries.
“We believe Coventry and Warwickshire has been at the very forefront of that development, something which is undoubtedly reflected in the awards our universities have collected in this period.”
Bob Wilson, Business Development Director (Real Estate) at the University of Warwick, and Rob Talliss, Director of Estate Development at Coventry University, will be joined on the panel by Gary Church, Head of Further & Higher Education for global property and construction consultancy Gleeds, and Neil Rose a director of international architects and designers Broadway Malyan.