Bouygues UK has been selected to build the next phase of Cardiff University's £300 million Innovation Campus (CIC).

The contractor will develop a disused railway yard at Maindy Park into a new campus featuring cutting-edge facilities that help researchers, students and industry work together to build enterprises that create products, spin-outs, start-ups and social enterprises.

The development will feature two new centres driving innovation; One 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 other will be home to two world-leading scientific research establishments - the Institute for Compound Semiconductors and Cardiff Catalysis Institute.

Work on site will create more than 60 jobs, apprenticeships and placements. Once officially ppened, CIC will be home to hundreds of academic researchers, students and university staff working alongside the private, public and third sectors to exploit new ideas.

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Professor Colin Riordan, President and Vice-Chancellor, Cardiff University, said: "Cardiff Innovation Campus is right at the heart of our long-term commitment to build social and economic prosperity in Wales for the benefit of all.

"We are delighted to be working with Bouygues UK to create a ‘Home of Innovation’ that unlocks the power of research. CIC will create jobs, act as a crucible for ideas, and allow future generations of students with great ideas to find new ways of tackling pressing global problems."

Rob Bradley, Regional Managing Director Bouygues UK, said: "This is a significant development for Cardiff University, which will see us use our strong technical team to deliver a state-of-the-art project providing significant economic benefits to the University and the wider Cardiff Capital Region.

"Our commitment to the region will ensure that this project contributes to increasing local skills, development and employment in Wales. We will provide a minimum of 30 work placements, create over 35 new job and apprentice opportunities, and deliver in excess of 1685 training weeks. We will also facilitate placements for students studying architecture and ensure we work closely with the local community throughout the duration of the scheme."

The Cardiff Innovation Campus is due to be completed by 2021.

(LM/MH)