The University has launched ambitious new plans for a £40 million state-of-the-art Collaborative Teaching Laboratory (CTL) to facilitate the teaching of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects, which will enable collaborative and interdisciplinary working amongst undergraduate and postgraduate taught students.

The CTL will incorporate the latest technologies and will be built in two phases:

• Phase one, which is due for completion in September 2016, will involve a partial refurbishment of the Mechanical and Civil Engineering Building with flexible learning spaces that can be used for laboratory and classroom work, including a heavy engineering lab.
• Phase two is due to open in the 2017/18 academic year and will see a purpose-built space on campus located between the Biosciences Building and the Learning Centre.  The building will feature dry, wet and e-labs for use by different groups at the same time, and a Discovery Lab for recruitment and outreach STEM activities.

Professor Jon Binner, Deputy Head of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, says: 

‘These exciting new facilities will be critical for the future by helping Birmingham develop talented graduates who can make a real difference to industry. We’re making good progress on the physical design of the lab and, just as importantly, the creative thinking needed to introduce this new approach to student learning.’