Campus business start-up building to open this week

The Ron Cooke Hub, which sits at the heart of the University of York’s £750m campus expansion at Heslington East, will be officially opened this week.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Jul 2011, 11:50 BST

The opening will be performed by Sir Alan Langlands, chief executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), on Friday, at 5pm.

Sir Alan will also deliver a major public lecture, Meeting the new world challenge. He will outline the key challenges and opportunities faced by the Higher Education sector as it moves through a period of transition, and will explain the steps HEFCE is taking to support universities and colleges in addressing these.

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The opening event will also feature the chance to participate in interactive tours of the innovative spaces in the Ron Cooke Hub, including the unique 3Sixty audio-visual Immersive Demonstration Space. Members of the student entrepreneurs club York Entrepreneurs will provide demonstrations and there will be an opportunity to meet new businesses in the Hub Springboard area.

The £20m Ron Cooke Hub is a flagship conceptual building which supports start-up businesses and inter-disciplinary research centres, as well as creating social and study space for students. Since November 2010, over 500 businesses have made use of its spaces and facilities.

Vice-Chancellor Brian Cantor said: “The Ron Cooke Hub houses an eclectic mix of student teaching, study spaces, interdisciplinary research centres, creative technologies, arts and visual demonstration spaces, student entrepreneurship, professional development, business incubation and university/business meeting rooms.

“It sits at the heart of the Heslington East development and at the forefront of the university’s strategy for engagement and collaboration with industry, as well as fostering and supporting entrepreneurship among students and staff.

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“The university has been a catalyst in developing and accelerating the city of York international profile working in partnership with the local community, City of York Council and inward investment agencies.”

He added: “The embedding of business facilities on campus is accelerating the promotion of York’s strengths in the knowledge economy.”