The development of a new £13.5 million research facility at the University of Nottingham has reached a major milestone.

Contractor Woodhead Group is progressing well with work on the Power Electronics; Machines and Control (PEMC) centre. The steel frame of the structure has now been completed.

The two-storey, 60,000 sq ft PEMC research facility, part-funded by Research England’s UK Research Partnership Investment Fund and the Wolfson Foundation, will be located on the University of Nottingham's Jubilee campus. It will provide office and research accommodation for the world-leading Power Electronics, Machine and Control research group which sits within the faculty of engineering at the university. It will host academic offices, three laboratories for high power, power electronics and drives and will also contain open-plan research space, seminar rooms and exhibition spaces. There will also be a workshop and office space for 144 researchers and PhD students, further supporting the University's dedication to cutting edge innovation.

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Architects Bond Bryan and cost consultants Turner and Townsend are working alongside Woodhead to ensure the project is completed in 2020.

Commenting on the progress of the project, Robert Martindale, Project Manager at Woodhead Group said: "We're very pleased with the progression of the PEMC site. The site team also applaud the relationship with the University team and their assistance whilst working on this demanding project.

"The space is going to create such a great opportunity to grow and expand on some of the world's leading research and engineering research for the University, and we're incredibly pleased to be the main contractor working again with the University of Nottingham on such a ground-breaking research facility.

"The University and Woodhead Group have developed a great collaborative relationship over the years. We're dedicated to upholding its world-class reputation as an innovative leader in its field through the transformation of their campus."

Richard Wigginton, Head of Capital Projects at the University of Nottingham added: "We are pleased to see this key milestone has been reached, demonstrating the work towards an important facility that will be home to revolutionary research, helping to shape the future of the UK manufacturing industry."

(CM/MH)