Institution news
First Minister, the Right Honourable Carwyn Jones AM officially opened the College of Engineering's new Engineering Quarter on 15 October.
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the Welsh government, provided €49.4m for the project, while the European Investment Bank (EIB) awarded an additional £60m to Swansea University – the first EIB investment in Wales.
The University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard B Davies welcomed the First Minister to the £450m Bay Campus.
He took the First Minister on a tour of the facility and was accompanied by the College of Engineering's Head, Professor Javier Bonet, as well as the Institution's President-Elect Jon Hilton and the Institution's Business Development Manager, Alan King.
The day included a visit to Engineering East, home to the Engineering Manufacturing Centre, which, along with the Swansea Bay Innovation Hub, has been part-funded by the ERDF through Welsh Government.
The building also incorporates the main workshop facilities for the whole of the College of Engineering and supports the civil engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, and sport and exercise science disciplines.
The First Minister met researchers and students as he toured some of the University’s world-class engineering facilities and equipment at the Engineering Manufacturing Centre and Swansea Bay Innovation Hub, which included the Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating (WCPC).
Following the tour of Engineering East, the First Minister visited Engineering Central, where disciplines such as aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, nanotechnology, and chemical engineering are taught. Here, he viewed the Merlin Flight Simulator suite.
The First Minister then officially opened the facilities by unveiling a Welsh-slate plaque in front of staff, students, and official guests.
He said: “This truly fantastic facility, which has benefited from extensive EU support, including £15m funding approved from Welsh Government, will provide a world-class learning environment that will attract and develop the best students from across the globe.
“It will drive research and innovation and will increase Wales’ global competitiveness in the field of engineering and manufacturing. I look forward to hearing about the continued success of this Quarter and the Campus overall for many years to come.”
Alan King said: "Living in the Swansea area, I have watched the construction of the new Swansea University Campus with interest over the past few years. It has always looked from the outside to be a hugely impressive undertaking, so I was delighted to visit the University and take a look around the inside.
"What I found was a transformational and inspirational facility every bit as impressive as the exterior. I have been around many University engineering departments in my role with the Institution, but have never seen one close to this standard. I doubt if there is a better University engineering facility in the UK, or perhaps even Europe. Well done Swansea University, it made me wish I could be a student again."
Jon Hilton added: "The opening of Bay Campus at Swansea University was a really inspiring event. To see a completely new university campus built from scratch on a brownfield site with the very best of facilities and equipment was fantastic.
"This facility is in addition to the existing site and represents a step change in provision of PEI approved engineering education in the region, which is exactly what the country needs if we are to address the projected shortfall in professional engineers."
Professor Javier Bonet, Head of the College of Engineering, said: "The Engineering Quarter's extensive, first-class facilities have been designed to capitalise on our research expertise and our current collaboration with major international companies, including Rolls-Royce and Tata Steel, and to enable room for growth to further meet the needs of industry.
"Engineering at Swansea is consistently ranked among the best in the UK, featuring among the Top 10. We continually strive for excellence in our teaching and research, and the Engineering Quarter will enable us to build on our current success, co-locating industry with our academic staff and students to enable applied research, accelerated innovation, and employment opportunities.
"We are extremely proud of our success and achievement since the University was established in 1920 – and I am confident the College of Engineering at Swansea will make an even greater impact in the future."
View more images from the opening event.