This month has been all about the power of connections. Our integrated and collaborative new campus is already unlocking new possibilities and bringing benefits for our city, region and beyond.
Significantly, we’ve taken a major step forward in the development of our flagship building at the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus (TQEC) with the connection to Vattenfall’s citywide heat network. As one of the UK’s most innovative heating systems, it makes our building capable of exporting heat back into the network, helping to heat nearby buildings and reduce carbon emissions across the city.
Meanwhile, MyWorld, approaching its first full year in operation at The Sheds, has launched a third round of the Skills Bootcamps in Virtual Production, funded by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and supported by industry leaders. The ongoing success of these programmes is testament to TQEC’s broader ability to generate new opportunities for partnerships and deliver flexible, innovative courses that provide learners with future-facing skills and contribute to regional productivity.
Throughout the month we’ve also seen some fantastic achievements from some of TQEC’s future residents. A student startup that begun as an idea in the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship has raised almost £1m to take their venture global, while the Smart Internet Lab’s flagship project, JOINER, has won a prestigious national AI Award. These achievements, while seemingly distinct, reflect the central vision for our new campus – a place where interdisciplinary teaching and research come together to drive innovation and tackle global challenges.
Professor Judith Squires, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, Lead for the Temple Quarter Programme
Heating up at TQEC
Our main academic building is now connected to one of the country’s most innovative, low carbon heating systems! The citywide heat network, delivered by Vattenfall and the University, is now active and will be tested and commissioned over the coming months.
This is one of the first times in the country that a building will be capable of exporting heat from its own computer servers and cooling system back into a citywide heat network, helping to heat other local buildings and reduce carbon emissions. The building will begin exporting heat and, as the Bristol heat network grows, make the heat network more resilient by adding additional low carbon heat sources.
This is a fantastic milestone for the development of our flagship building and embodies the University’s commitment to working in partnership to create an innovative new campus that brings benefits to our city.
Read more about the connection
Top notch train station
Did you hear? The new entrance to Bristol Temple Meads train station has scooped some top awards at the recent Institute of Civil Engineers South West Awards. It took home the prizes in both the People’s Choice and Community categories, and was the only engineering project to win more than one category.
This new entrance will open directly onto University Square which connects to our flagship building. Bristol Temple Meads is the South West’s largest transport hub and the new entrance will improve access to and from our campus for our students, staff and partners. Regular trains also run on the intercity line from Temple Meads to Clifton Down Station, which is only a short distance from our Clifton Campus.
The new entrance will also improve access for communities and businesses across East Bristol, supporting wider regional connectivity.