Vice-Chancellor welcomes £7.49m investment in Computer Science facilities  

22 January 2015

Employment and Learning Minister Dr Stephen Farry has announced that, following the allocation of £7.49 million in funding, a major redevelopment and expansion of the computer science teaching facilities at Queen's has commenced.

Work is taking place on the site of the Bernard Crossland building on the Malone Road and will cost £14.98 million to complete, with the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) and Queen’s contributing 50% each. The building is the main facility for Computer Science at the University.

Welcoming the investment, Queen’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Patrick Johnston said: "The expansion of Computer Science is an institutional priority for the University and is closely aligned with the priorities set out in the Northern Ireland Programme for Government and the Department for Employment and Learning’s Higher Education and Skills Strategies.

"Our vision is that computer science teaching and research will be delivered in a hi-tech, flexible learning environment that encourages collaboration and innovation. Key to this is the integration of staff and students in a modern landmark building with increased computing resources and considerably more project space that will enhance the student experience and improve employability skills.

He added: “This state-of-the-art facility will contribute to the vision of the ICT Industry in Northern Ireland to be a world-class centre of ICT excellence."

The expansion and refurbishment of the Bernard Crossland Building will see the existing building almost double in size, with increased numbers of computing resources, considerably more project space and additional seating/social areas for students.

Following the announcement, Minister Farry said: "With the number of Computer Science students attending Queen’s having almost doubled in the past two years to 1,350, this major investment in infrastructure and teaching represents a major boost for our economy and higher education sector. Our economy needs a constant supply of high quality graduates with computer science and software engineering skills if we are to be globally competitive."

Construction work on the state of the art facility is scheduled for completion by April 2016 with its new modern facilities expected to be available to students for the start of the 2016/17 academic year.

For further information, contact the Communications Office on 00 44 (0)28 9097 5320 (Mon-Wed) or 00 44 (0)28 9097 5310 (Thurs-Fri) or email comms.officer@qub.ac.uk

Department for Employment and Learning media queries should be directed to the DEL’s Communications Branch, tel: 028 9025 7492.

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