Midlands based construction company, Thomas Vale, has handed over keys to a brand new enterprise facility to Innovation Birmingham.
Acting as a detached extension of the campus’ Faraday Wharf building, the Universities Centre will create an additional 5,812 sq ft of enterprise space, with half dedicated to flexible co-working and the remainder purpose-designed for training sessions and events. It also boasts state-of-the-art communications equipment, with each of Birmingham’s five universities benefitting from high-definition video conferencing suites as part of the project.
The Universities Centre, which received a Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) award of £2.49m Local Growth Fund grant, is the second of five new developments totalling £30 million planned on Innovation Birmingham Campus and quickly follows the completion of the 42,149 sq ft iCentrum® building in March 2016.
Thomas Vale, part of national construction and development business, Bouygues UK, began construction in April 2016 and has successfully delivered the project both on-time and on-budget, following a 29 week build programme.
Dr David Hardman MBE, CEO of Innovation Birmingham said: “It has been a very exciting year for the Campus and Thomas Vale have played a major role in delivery of both the Universities Centre and iCentrum®.
“The completion of the Universities Centre will be a fantastic addition, not only to the Campus but also the wider region, as we strengthen our links with the city’s five universities and create opportunities for innovators and educators to actively engage.”
Craig Tatton, Managing Director at Thomas Vale said: “We have been successfully working with Innovation Birmingham for a number of years now. Through early engagement with our client and supply chain partners we have been able to deliver two excellent schemes which will benefit both the universities and the start-ups in the region.”