The National Automotive Innovation Centre will be built in Coventry with the aim of pooling UK expertise in car part innovation.

It is being funded as a joint project between Jaguar Land Rover, Tata Motors European Technical Centre, Warwick Manufacturing Group and the Higher Education Funding Council.

Construction is set to begin in September, with the finished centre, designed by architect Rider Levett Bucknall, aiming to bring together under one roof around 1,000 academics and engineers.

Steven Jenkins, partner at Rider Levett Bucknall and key project lead, said: “This is one of the most exciting education-led capital projects in the UK, not least due to its size and scale.

“It will play an instrumental role in cementing the Midlands as an automotive hub.”

Buro Four Project Services is project manager and Arup the main structural engineer for the building, which will also look into advanced robotics and computer technologies.

The University of Warwick’s Vice-Chancellor Nigel Thrift said: “The National Automotive Innovation Campus will make a significant difference not just to the automotive industry but tens of thousands of lives.

“It will embrace and engage 14+ year old school students, undergraduate and postgraduates students, research fellows, academics, start-up owners, apprentices, industry engineers, supply chain specialists and automotive leaders and help secure jobs both in our local region and nationally.”

For more details contact Marie Hughes (tel: 02476151049 or visit the eSourcing Portal.