Cardiff Innovation Campus

A senoir member of our team worked for Cardiff University to oversee the completion of the Innovation Campus

Reading time 2 mins

Key Points

Strategic leadership
Stakeholder engagement
Procurement
Programme and Project Management
Cleanroom, Chemistry Laboratories,
Social Sciences

Project details

Cardiff University is an ambitious and innovative university with a bold strategic vision, built on a foundation of excellent teaching and research across a broad set of disciplines. The university wanted to create a facility that brings thinkers and makers together to ignite ideas and turn research into spinouts, start-ups, social enterprises, products and partnerships.

The University therefore took a decision to build the Innovation Campus. A circa £300m building comprising 2 bespoke centres.

sbarc|spark home to SPARK – the world’s first social science research park – and Cardiff Innovations – a creative space for start-ups, spin-outs and partnerships, many aligned with societal themes.

Next door, the Translational Research Hub features two leading scientific research establishments – the Institute for Compound Semiconductors and Cardiff Catalysis Institute.

The Project was at a critical stage with construction and design 70% complete and growing cost and time pressures and low morale due to the loss of their leader to ill health. The University needed someone to quickly take on the helm and lead it to a successful conclusion over the next two years.

The University went through a rigorous recruitment process and ultimately chose to appoint one of the EPM members Jan Ponsford because of his extensive project experience, calm measured approach, strong interpersonal skills and ability to engage with stakeholders at all levels.

Through 1:1’s, briefings and document review Jan quickly got up to speed and identified the key areas of focus including rebuilding moral, confidence and alignment in the project team as well as introducing greater discipline and controls in the management of change, cost and risk.

After a challenging year and a half the project was successfully completed and all three buildings are thriving, vibrant places and delivering on the dream turning research into spinouts, start-ups, social enterprises, products and partnerships.