The UK’s leading regeneration specialist, St. Modwen, is developing the campus with its construction partner, VINCI Construction UK, and Swansea University’s framework contractor, Leadbitter, a Bouygues UK company.

The new campus, which will welcome its first students on site in September 2015, will provide world-class research facilities and enable the University to significantly increase its ability to access research council grants and other sources of funding such as Horizon 2020.  It will also provide an ‘open innovation’ environment for industry to collaborate and engage with academic expertise to help develop manufacturing products and processes and introduce new ones, contributing to the economic regeneration of the region.

In addition, the Bay Campus is providing significant local employment opportunities. More than 1,100 workers have already been inducted to work on the site. There are over 200 sub-contracting opportunities, of which over 100 have already been let to companies from the Swansea Bay region and across Wales.

Ms Clase will visit the university as part of a two-day economy and growth themed visit to Wales. The Secretary of State for Wales and Ms Clase will be hosted by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Richard B. Davies and see first-hand how scientists at the University’s College of Medicine are collaborating with colleagues at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm in life sciences research and development.

Secretary of State for Wales, David Jones said:

“Higher education plays an important role in driving economic growth and having employees with the right skills is essential if businesses are to grow and prosper.  Swansea University is renowned for its impressive research programmes and the new bay campus will provide exciting new opportunities for students.  I hope that this will continue to drive economic regeneration in the region and I am delighted to have the opportunity to hear about the University's progress in this area."

Professor Richard B. Davies, Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University, said: “Our new Bay Campus has been recognised as one of Europe’s leading knowledge economy projects. This development means that the University can continue to expand to provide new student opportunities, meet society and industry needs for world-class research, and drive economic growth in the Swansea Bay region and beyond. I’m delighted to welcome the Secretary of State here today to share with him the ambition of the Bay Campus and the quality of the buildings and facilities which will be enjoyed by students, staff, and our industrial partners.”

Bay Campus

The new £450m Swansea University Bay Campus scheme will be delivered on St. Modwen’s 65 acre (gross) former BP Transit site on the eastern approach into Swansea and will have the distinction of being one of the few global universities with direct access onto a beach and its own seafront promenade. The University will provide academic, student accommodation and research space, the latter being in a series of agreements with international and national companies.

St. Modwen, the UK’s leading regeneration specialist, is developing the Bay Campus and is carrying out the building work with contractor VINCI Construction UK and Swansea University’s framework contractor Leadbitter, a Bouygues UK company. Works started on site in May 2013, with full student occupation due in 2015. 

Picture: ( Left to right)   Sweden’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Nicola Clase; Professor Richard B. Davies, Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University; Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Iwan Davies; The Secretary of State for Wales, David Jones MP.