Cardiff Innovation Campus opens doors

The company building Cardiff University’s new Innovation Campus will open the site gates to the public tomorrow and Saturday (22-23 March).

Bouygues UK is joining the UK-wide Open Doors event, where construction sites open to members of the public and schools for pre-booked tours with a focus on construction careers.

The new state-of-the-art Campus will be a ‘Home of Innovation’ where staff and students build careers, businesses and social enterprises.

It will feature two new buildings - Innovation Central and the Translational Research Facility.

Innovation Central, designed by award-winning architects Hawkins\Brown, will house SPARK, the world’s first social science research park, and the Innovation Centre – a creative space for start-ups, spin-outs and partnerships.

The Translational Research Facility, designed by global architects HOK, will be home to two world-leading scientific research establishments - the Institute for Compound Semiconductors and Cardiff Catalysis Institute.

Justin Moore, Bouygues UK Operations Director for Wales, said: “We’re delighted to be opening our site gates to the public for Open Doors Week. Cardiff Innovation Centre is an exciting and technically challenging construction project and we hope that giving people a chance to see it first-hand will illustrate the exciting work being undertaken in the industry and encourage more people to join. The Campus buildings will feature creatives spaces, an auditorium, labs and offices where innovative partnerships can flourish, and we are delighted to be partnering Cardiff on such a ground-breaking project.”

Professor Kim Graham, Cardiff University Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Enterprise, added, “Giving the public a chance to see how we are shaping innovation in South Wales is a great idea. The new Campus represents a long-term investment in people’s careers. Without the right facilities, our innovators would not be able to forge partnerships, build businesses and develop social enterprises that create wider social prosperity. As Wales’s leading academic institution for innovation, we will continue to invest in facilities that help private, public and Third Sector partners unlock the power of great research.”

Cardiff Innovation Campus at Maindy Road will host two ‘Open Doors’ sessions on Friday 22nd March (2.00-3.00) and Saturday 23rd (9.30-10.30). Bookings can be made via the Open Doors website.

Bouygues UK will open 12 of its sites during Open Doors week, which allows the public to view more than 250 UK construction projects.