‌‌‌‌Through support secured from the European Investment Bank, and the European Regional Development Fund, the University is eagerly awaiting the opening in 2015 of the new Science and Innovation Campus at Fabian Way, which the First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, has described as “an exciting project for Swansea and for Wales”.

Professor Richard B Davies, Swansea University’s Vice Chancellor, said:

“As a research-led institution Swansea University has been pursuing radical and ambitious “Strategic Directions” policies designed to accelerate the development of the University and focussed on achieving excellence and success in an increasingly competitive and rapidly changing global environment.  

The University welcomes the significant funds received from the EU through the Welsh Government and is proud of the proven success of these projects in creating high-value and high-skill jobs and, as importantly, attracting further investment into the south west region of Wales to help drive forward the knowledge economy.

For many years it has been recognised, the single largest obstacle to the development of Swansea University was a land-locked Singleton campus which would be too small to meet all the requirements of a fully effective modern university. We now have a stunning dual-campus solution to this challenge.

Building work is well underway on a new £450M Science and Innovation Campus which will be open by 2015, secured through investment of £60m from the European Investment Bank, the first EIB investment in Wales, for what is one of the largest knowledge economy projects in Europe.

The University has made massive progress over the last ten years and I am full of admiration for what colleagues have achieved.”

2014 also heralds the beginning of a diverse range of new European funding programmes, for the 7 year period 2014 to 2020.  These include:

• the European Structural & Investment Programme in Wales - €366.8 billion (aimed at creating employment opportunities and boosting Welsh economic growth);
• Horizon2020 - €80billion,(an enhanced research and innovation  programme replacing Framework 7),
• Erasmus Plus - €14.7 billion, (providing training, mobility and collaboration opportunities);
• Creative Europe - €1.46 billion, which joins together the previous Media and Culture funding programmes. 

Combined these funding initiatives offer in excess of €462.96 billion for economic development, research, innovation, mobility and training, which Swansea University is very keen to access to benefit the local, regional and national economies.

Europe Day will also be an opportunity for Swansea University to acknowledge its wide ranging success in the previous funding programmes, including:-

•    European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), over £44 million, across a range of capacity and economic development projects, including the projects - Centre for Nano Health, Institute of Life Sciences 1 & 2, ASTUTE, SOLCER, Low Carbon Research Institute, WISE2, High Powered Computing Wales and EMC.

•    European Social Fund (ESF), £29 million investment for skill development projects - Software Alliance Wales, Leadership Wales, Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarships, Access to Master, Work Based Learning, Foundation Degree, Technocamps, Go Wales

•    Interreg - £4million funding for inter-regional EU co-operation to promote sustainable and integrated economic development of Wales and other EU regions – Celtic Alliance for Nanohealth, WIN-IPT, ECOJEL, SUSFISH, IMPACT, ENALGAE.

•    7th Framework Programme (FP7), Swansea University has secured £13million funding through competitive bidding, to lead on 6 projects and collaborate in a further 35 projects.

•    Lifelong Learning Programme – Swansea has participated in 10 projects including 7 Erasmus student and staff mobility programmes (€3.3 million funding), and 2 highly prestigious Erasmus Mundus International Masters programmes and Tempus funding.

Other European initiatives which have been supported by the EU include the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), assisting local small businesses to make the most of the European marketplace.

The £3.2bn Structural Funds programmes 2007-2013 in Wales include the Convergence programmes for West Wales and the Valleys, and the Regional Competitiveness and Employment programmes for East Wales. The programmes are delivered through the Welsh Government and are aimed at creating employment opportunities and boosting economic growth.  For more information, visit: www.wefo.wales.gov.uk

Information and contact points for approved projects are available from Swansea University’s Department of Research & Innovation (DRI)  researchandinnovation@swansea.ac.uk

Information on the Erasmus funded projects is available from the International Development Office ido@swansea.ac.uk