University campus on track for completion this autumn
Construction of the University of Derby’s new Chesterfield Campus is on track, with completion due for autumn 2016 when the first students will be welcomed to the St Helena building on Sheffield Road. Opening the new campus will broaden the range of health and social care courses the University already offers in Chesterfield and allow collaborations with partner organisations to introduce new ways of learning and education relevant to Chesterfield’s economy, particularly for engineering, IT and business courses.
The new campus will provide businesses with access to facilities and support services through the Innovation Centre, which is supported by the Institute for Innovation in Sustainable Engineering (IISE). Here the University will have a laboratory containing the latest product development and testing equipment to support SMEs and business start-ups along with incubation units, access to expertise, funding, knowledge transfer partnerships and student talent to facilitate accelerated growth. Professional development and accreditation of in-company training programmes will also be available.
The University of Derby’s new Chesterfield Campus has received investment from partners including £3.48million from the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (promoting economic growth across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire). Funding and support from the European Regional Development Fund is contributing to the costs of equipment and support of the Innovation Centre at the Chesterfield Campus, to support innovation and business growth (as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme in the D2N2 area).
The University’s Business Development Team can provide access to funding to help support business growth. For instance, the Invest to Grow programme is designed to support private sector businesses to innovate, grow and create jobs. In the East Midlands, there is £16m of Regional Growth Fund available to businesses.
