A quarter of a million pounds has been donated by the Garfield Weston Foundation to Loughborough University for its new STEMLab building.

The state-of-the-art development will enable the University to enhance its teaching and learning facilities for science, technology, engineering and mathematics – known as STEM subjects.

Teaching laboratories for science and engineering, workshops, computer-aided design and rapid prototyping facilities, a design studio and informal learning spaces will all be housed in the building. It will be the cornerstone of a new student learning zone at the west end of the Loughborough campus.

STEMLab will also be a focal point for the University’s activities that seek to engage school-age students with science and engineering, such as the annual Loughborough Engineering Experience for Year 12 students and the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Top of the Bench competition.  Such activities play a crucial role in helping students from different backgrounds find out more about university life and showcasing the range of careers open to STEM graduates.

In December Loughborough was awarded £5 million from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) for the development, which is due to be operational by Spring 2017.

Now a further £250,000 has been donated to STEMLab by the Garfield Weston Foundation, a grant-making trust which has been supporting charities across the UK for over 50 years. This new grant will specifically help equip the bio-laboratories which will underpin the University’s new degree programmes in bioengineering and biosciences.  These programmes are aimed at creating graduates who will address major societal challenges relating to healthcare and healthy living.

Philippa Charles, Director of the Garfield Weston Foundation said: “This is an important project helping to build vital skills for the future and our Trustees were pleased to support Loughborough University.”

Susan Sargent, Director of the University’s Development and Alumni Relations, added: “We are incredibly grateful to the Garfield Weston Foundation for supporting this project.  STEMLab will greatly enhance the educational experience of our students, as well as play a crucial role in encouraging the next generation of scientists, engineers and mathematicians.

“We hope to find more individuals and organisations that want to support and be part of such an exciting development.”