Kier and universtity staff at the Warwick site
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Kier has been appointed as the preferred lead contractor for phase 1 of the University of Warwick’s STEM Connect Programme, part of a wider £700 million investment initiative aimed at transforming the university’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics infrastructure.
The programme, which forms part of the University’s broader Connect Programme, will see laboratories and interdisciplinary learning spaces built at its West Midlands campus.
These facilities are intended to support a new generation of undergraduate and postgraduate STEM courses and enhance the university’s capacity for globally relevant research.
Construction is scheduled to begin later this year following the completion of enabling works. Kier was unwilling to reveal the contract price when contacted by Construction News.
The STEM Connect Programme is the flagship development within the University’s wider capital investment strategy, which also supports growth in the Social Sciences.
Overall, the programme is touted as generating more than 1,500 construction-related jobs throughout the life of the project.
Vice-chancellor Professor Stuart Croft described Kier’s appointment as a major milestone for the University in its 60th anniversary year, adding that the new infrastructure will elevate Warwick’s standing as a leader in global STEM education and research.
Professor Mark Williams, Academic Lead for the programme, said the investment would “foster innovation and advance research that has real-world impact.”
Kier’s regional managing director Mark Dady noted the contractor’s experience in delivering high-quality education facilities, including its recent completion of a specialist research and education hub for the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
Research enabled by the new facilities is expected to focus on global challenges such as crop protection and treatments for neglected tropical diseases, building on Warwick’s existing work in sustainable materials and manufacturing processes.
Source: Kier email press release
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Colin Marrs