Sussex Universities Receive Funding To Upgrade Teaching Facilities

Universities across Sussex have welcomed new government funding aimed at redeveloping teaching and learning spaces.

The higher education regulator Office for Students (OfS) has allocated £88.5 million to 60 universities and colleges across England.

In Sussex, the University of Brighton has received £2.5 million to refurbish 16 teaching rooms, while the University of Chichester will receive £300,000 to convert offices into digital pathology laboratories.

At Brighton, the funding will be used to improve teaching spaces at Moulsecoomb and Falmer, with a focus on courses that develop skills in digital innovation and the creative industries.

Steve Porcher, director of estates, described the funding as an opportunity to “make targeted improvements that support the skills the region needs most.”

The University of Chichester plans to use the investment to create a cell culture lab and a tissue imaging lab, enhancing its biomedical science and digital pathology courses.

Executive dean Prof Mike Lauder said the upgrades would help ensure students are “ready to meet real-world challenges.”

The OfS confirmed that successful projects had to demonstrate how they would support the government’s industrial strategy or address the needs of local employers.

Nolan Smith, OfS director of resources and finance, said the projects would “make a tangible difference to current and future students.”