Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Alison Richard, and Laing O’Rourke Chairman and Chief Executive Ray O’Rourke Laing O’Rourke and The University of Cambridge have announced the creation of a new multi-disciplinary academic centre of excellence to advance the engineering profession and leverage innovative thinking to benefit the construction industry.

Laing O'Rourke, will fund the Laing O'Rourke Centre for Construction Engineering and Technology at Cambridge as part of their multi-million pound collaboration with the University.

An agreement signed by Dame Alison Richard, and Mr O'Rourke formally launched the new centre, which is set to play a leading role in shaping the future of the construction industry by responding to the environmental and sustainability challenges facing the planet.

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It will be a focus for research and teaching, using the insights to help shape the built environment of the future in order to give as many people as possible access to the benefits of sustainable construction.

A new two-year part-time Masters degree in Construction Engineering will be launched in September 2011 by the Centre in the University’s Department of Engineering, working with Judge Business School.

MR O'Rourke said: "I believe the engineering and construction profession has reached a critical crossroads in its development – it has for too long relied on traditional skills and approaches, often failing to keep pace with the political, social and economic demands of modern society. It must once again attract the very best talent, apply radical thinking, embrace new technologies and innovate in a way that removes waste and inefficiency and creates the greatest value for the world's communities."

(CD)