The summer months have arrived, and the development of the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus (TQEC) continues at pace. This will be the final summer vacation that the main building remains under construction – by next year, we will be starting to move in the furniture, specialist equipment and the people who will bring this world-class campus to life.
This month, we have opened the doors of our new Hartcliffe Micro-campus, with the first event taking place in June. The space will be home to initiatives that allow us to test new approaches to inclusive education and civic engagement, connecting with new partners and new neighbours in South Bristol and opening the University up to a broader range of communities. If you’d like to know more about how this new space and the micro-campus network connects to TQEC’s civic ambitions, read the blog post from our Civic Spaces Academic Director, Tom Sperlinger.
TQEC provides us with the opportunity to work alongside more partners to drive forward pioneering research that meets the challenges of our rapidly evolving world. This month, we are delighted to announce one of the first industry members of our Bristol Innovations Zone – a ground-breaking environment for collaboration, training and innovation that will open with the new campus. You can find out more about this milestone in the update below.
With the opening date approaching ever faster, we are proud to see support and interest continue to grow. In the first month of launching, over 30,000 people have subscribed to follow our journey to opening through our new LinkedIn newsletter, which is testament to the extraordinary vision we are turning into a reality.
Professor Judith Squires, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost
Bristol Civic Society Award for the TQ Research Hub
Congratulations to everyone involved in the design and construction of the TQ Research Hub on Avon Street, which received a Bristol Civic Society Design Award this month. These prestigious and independent awards have been running for over 25 years and celebrate the very best of new developments in Bristol that make a positive contribution to the city. It’s a fantastic building, bringing the innovative past and future of the area together.
Welcome to the new micro-campus!
We marked a fantastic milestone on 18 June with the first activity in our new Hartcliffe Micro-campus. Led by colleagues from the Vet School and the TQ Civic Engagement Team, we partnered with Bristol Animal Rescue Centre and The Paws Project – a student led organisation supporting those in hardship with owning a pet – to deliver the first of a series of Community Pet Advice Drop-in Sessions.
Local residents and their pets were invited to drop in and share what kind of support and information would be most helpful for them to receive from Vets and our Vet students, ranging from general pet care to managing costs and housing challenges. This series will help to inform pet care and advice given by the experts, shaped by the community.
Our micro-campuses provide spaces to develop novel approaches to education and civic engagement, devising local responses to global challenges. They’re also attracting interest from further afield, with university staff from Malmo to Milan visiting our micro-campus in Barton Hill in June.
New members of Bristol Innovations Zone
This month we announced that one of the first members has joined the Bristol Innovations Zone – a ground-breaking new space for collaboration, training and innovation, opening as part of TQEC in 2026. RANsemi is a UK-based company developing cutting-edge wireless semiconductor technology for 5G and 6Gnetworks.
The Bristol Innovations Zone will be based on the first and fourth floors of the main building. It will offer business leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators and investors state-of-the-art labs and equipment, flexible co-working space and specialist training and support. It will help start-ups, scale-ups and corporations connect with the University’s world-class researchers and entrepreneurial talent and create opportunities for collaboration with a network of academics, businesses, innovation programmes and R&D partnerships.
The announcement marks a major milestone for the development of TQEC. The Bristol Innovations Zone is a key part of our vision for the new campus, bringing together industry and academia to develop pioneering new approaches which translate into real solutions that benefit society.
Participating in public art
It’s been another busy month for our public art commissions – getting staff, students and local communities to participate and creatively contribute to the development of TQEC.
Wild Spaces, the latest commission to kick off, is now in full swing with a series of visits and activities with Room 13 Hareclive this month. On 10 June, the Cabot Institute’s Dr Ana Castro-Castellon accompanied Room 13 and primary school students from Hareclive Primary School, and Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (BARTS) on a day of river exploration around South Bristol. This ‘R&D expedition’ was closely followed by a boat trip along the harbourside the week after, inviting the children to learn about the natural ecologies around the campus through art education.
The Charting Change commission, led by Bristol-based artists Ellie and Jack, has had an incredibly busy month of workshops and activities – all of which are informing the development of the final artwork which will be based in the main building once completed. Working with Women Teaching Fabrication, Ellie and Jack co-hosted a metal workshop for local women over 60 to weld crowns and sculptures representing the hidden labour of women. Images from this session are now proudly on display at the Barton Hill Micro-campus, pictured.
They also collaborated with Bristol Common Press, our historic printing press, to host two letterpress workshops with staff and students, with some of the posters created soon to be featured on poster frames on the hoardings at TQEC.
Keep up to date with the TQEC public art commissions via the University’s Public Art Instagram Account.
Bristol Temple Quarter Hub opens
Our new campus is at the heart of a transformative regeneration project for Bristol and the region. Bristol Temple Quarter presents a unique opportunity to shape a vibrant new district in the heart of the city that brings together new education, employment and living opportunities, led by our partners Bristol Temple Quarter LLP.
In June, a new Bristol Temple Quarter Hub opened on Temple Gate, in a central location in the regeneration area. This new space is designed for residents to learn more about the regeneration, for community groups to meet and collaborate and for the BTQ team to deliver skills and training opportunities that support local people.
Several members of the University team attended the opening of the Hub and heard more about the visions for the space. It was great to hear Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, speak about the potential for Bristol Temple Quarter and reaffirm the commitment to building in partnership with organisations and communities.
We’re proud to be part of this ambitious regeneration and excited to see it continue to take shape around our new campus. The Bristol Temple Quarter team are starting a series of consultation events for local people to find out more and have their say about the wider development area. Find out more on the website.