Trinity and Lampeter welcome £14.3 million funding boost for new university

University of Wales Lampeter and Trinity University College Carmarthen have today welcomed the news that Education Minister Jane Hutt has approved a £14.3 million funding package in support of their proposed merger which would create a brand new university in South West Wales.

The creation of University of Wales Trinity Saint David will build upon the heritage and strengths of Wales’s two oldest institutions, and will go towards providing enhanced facilities and resources for students and communities in the region.

The £14.3 million funding award from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) will ensure that the new university can respond to the economic and social needs of Wales. In particular it will enable the University to address skills needs through the creation of a number of initiatives including a public services academy, a skills technium and a centre for rural health and social care. The University of Wales Trinity Saint David will build upon existing partnerships with key agencies including further education colleges and schools to transform the provision of education and training across the region.

The new university will provide bilingual higher education opportunities to a diverse student base . A programme of investment will now see the development of enhanced facilities at both campuses, and staff at both Trinity University College and UW Lampeter are already working closely with each other to bring the functions of the two universities together as they prepare to complete the merger by July 2010 in time to welcome the first students in September 2010.

Dr Medwin Hughes, Vice Chancellor Designate of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and Vice Chancellor of University Wales Lampeter and Trinity University College said: “We are delighted with today’s news. The collaboration between two of Wales’s oldest institutions will create an exciting and vibrant university not only for students in Wales but also from the UK, and the rest of the world.

“With its home in South West Wales but with an offer that will have an international appeal, University of Wales Trinity Saint David will be nationally rooted but in a global context.

“This is history in the making, which will not only create a powerhouse for education in South West Wales but will also bring a much needed boost to the regional economy.

“Through building on the strengths and heritage of Trinity and Lampeter, and enhancing facilities, courses and academy programmes across both campuses, University of Wales Trinity Saint David has an exciting and vibrant future, and it is set to become an internationally acclaimed higher education establishment.”