University of St Andrews welcomes vital Tay Cities Deal funding

The University of St Andrews has welcomed the announcement today (26 October 2018) by the Scottish Government that it is to invest £200 million in the Tay Cities Deal.

The University of St Andrews is poised to press ahead with ambitious plans to create 500 new jobs at its Eden Campus at Guardbridge once vital Tay Cities Deal funding has been secured.

It is expected that the Chancellor Philip Hammond will reveal the UK Government’s commitment to the Deal in his Budget statement on Monday.

The University has bid for £30 million to further redevelop the site of the former paper mill at Guardbridge. The Tay Cities Deal investment will see the redevelopment of an additional 5500 square metres of existing derelict buildings to provide the necessary infrastructure to co-locate new industry alongside academic expertise.

It is predicted that the funding for Eden Campus could unlock up to £75m of other inward investment within the first five years from a mixture of industry and private sector investors.

The bid is the result of months of painstaking work by the University with the backing of Scottish and UK ministers, officials and agencies, and Fife Council, and the support of North East Fife MP Stephen Gethins and North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie.

The University has already invested £25 million in an award-winning green energy centre at the Eden Campus which pumps hot water four miles to St Andrews to heat University buildings. Further investment is transforming parts of the old paper mill into state-of-the-art office space for 450 University staff who are to relocate from St Andrews to the Eden Campus from the end of 2018.

Specific projects for development at Eden Campus include:

• Regional power upgrade to enable Campus investment
• Scottish Centre for Clean Energy Storage and Conversion (combining advanced materials and storage and energy innovation into one integrated centre)
• The D’Arcy Thompson Simulator Centre
• Eden Enterprise Hub
• Eden Campus infrastructure

University of St Andrews Quaestor and Factor Derek Watson said: “The commitment from the Scottish Government is great news for the University, for the local and Fife community and for Scotland as a whole. We look forward to the announcement from the UK Government.

“After a great deal of preparation and planning and close work with both the Scottish and UK governments and their agencies and with Fife Council, we look forward to securing the funding we need to breathe new life into Eden Campus, and to provide the necessary infrastructure to co-locate exciting new industry alongside academic expertise from across Scotland and create hundreds of new jobs.

“We are grateful to all those who continue to support us throughout what has been a long and at times difficult journey and we look forward to a bright future for Eden Campus and to making a genuine contribution to government’s strategic objectives and to society as a whole.”

North East Fife MP Stephen Gethins said: “This is very welcome news and a substantial investment from the Scottish Government. I hope that the Chancellor will take the opportunity to follow suit in Monday’s budget. Investing for the future in the Tay area, including projects in Fife, is important for building future prosperity and wellbeing. The Eden Campus at St Andrews is a critical part of that, building a greener future and delivering local jobs.”

North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie said: “This is long awaited but most welcome news from the Scottish Government. The commitment by the University to bring investment to Eden Campus and creating new jobs is to be applauded. I have supported the University with its transformative plans for Eden Campus since the outset and will continue to do so.”