Staffordshire University London doubles office space at Here East

• Staffordshire University London will be investing £3.5m into their state-of-the-art expansion at Here East, London’s tech and innovation campus
• Here East’s flexible offerings are enabling Staffordshire University London to double the size of the University’s specialist digital facilities

Staffordshire University London has today announced it will be doubling the space it occupies at Delancey’s Here East, the tech and innovation campus located in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Staffordshire University London, which opened in Here East in 2019, is already home to 135 students studying on a range of technology-focused courses including eSports, Computer Science, Concept Art for Games and Film, Computer Games Design and Cyber Security.

Since then, the University has outgrown the space it occupies and is investing £3.5m to double its space to 31,133 sq ft. It plans to use the space to improve the facilities available for students and expand the courses available from September.

• The Production Warehouse: This existing space will be enhanced with new a Virtual Production and post-production suite.
• The Data Junction: A mega lab featuring wireless casting and presenting facilities, as well as new cyber and networking labs.
• The Digital Loft: A social area is being created to provide staff and students with a space for collaboration, presentations and there will also be a faith room.

The global pandemic has highlighted the growing digital skills gap in the UK. Staffordshire University London focuses on courses providing young people with the right skills and experience to access careers in high-growth digital industries. The new space will enable Staffordshire University London to provide a wider array of courses including Artificial Intelligence, Data Science & Informatics and Financial Technologies which will provide students with the digital skills to expand their future job opportunities and help close the digital skills gap.

Staffordshire University London is part of the thriving higher education community at Here East, alongside UCL, Loughborough University London and LMA. The campus expansion means that Staffordshire University London will continue to work closely with Here East and our tenants – playing an integral part within the community. Here East and Staffordshire University London are already working together on initiatives such as scholarship programmes and youth education programmes. The expansion will allow the partnership to continue to close the gap between education and industry with a specific focus on digital skills.

Gavin Poole, CEO, Here East comments: “Since joining Here East, Staffordshire University London has been a highly valued member of our community, contributing significantly to campus life and becoming involved in the programmes we run.

Despite the pandemic putting the future of universities in an uncertain spotlight, they have undergone a significant period of growth over the last year, and we are thrilled to be able to accommodate their growing campus. We are excited about the new courses that will be offered to students on campus and are looking forward to our continued work on closing the gap between education and industry.

We are proud that Here East is able to offer expansive and flexible spaces and attract a growing number of educational organisations seeking a different and innovative type of space.”

Matt Brindley-Sadler, Director at Staffordshire University London said: “Our number one priority is to create an exciting and vibrant campus where students and staff, alongside our external stakeholder partners, come together and truly ‘Create the Uncreated’. Our focus is on collaborative working and harnessing new technologies to drive innovation.

This investment will enable us to engage more widely with local schools, colleges, and organisations dedicated to providing opportunities for local communities to upskill and embrace social mobility.”