Project outline

The project is designed to develop an approach to organisational and leadership structural design through the shared use of sustainable scientific teaching facilities and support staff. Key to the project's success is the design of shared laboratories, the management structure and the development of staff involved.

The Universities of Liverpool and Sunderland have designed facilities which are currently being constructed to deliver shared teaching laboratories and will develop an approach which meets the following sector wide drivers:

• Enhanced leadership capability
• The development and retention of technical skills
• Greater efficiency of structures to support quality academic outputs in turn enhancing the student experience
• The facilitation of multidisciplinary academic activity through the provision of shared facilities and support staff
• Best practice approach to sustainable building design and utilisation
  
  The project will establish a case study for the sector on the cultural change programme required to establish and run shared facilities.
  
  The University of Liverpool's new 4,400sq metres Central Teaching Laboratories (CTL) for the Faculty of Science and Engineering are set to transform the way in which Physical Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Archaeology, Geography, and Earth and Ocean Science) are taught at the University.
  
  The University of Sunderland's Sciences Complex Refurbishment (SCR) will include a new Health and Science Academy, which will entail the conversion of over 4,000sq metres of existing university space into state-of-the-art teaching, learning and research facilities for health science provision.
  
  The Universities of Liverpool and Sunderland are joined in the project by colleagues from Birmingham, Edinburgh and Sheffield.