The Eastern Colleges Group have secured £2 million funding from the Office for Students (OfS) to create a world leading Extended Reality (XR) facility, encompassing Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality technologies for students across the East of England.
Set to launch at the start of the next academic year, the XR Lab will be a purpose-built facility bringing together a whole suite of the very latest XR technologies, to drive innovation across college programmes in close collaboration with industry partners - creating new opportunities for all students.
The XR Lab will provide students with access to next-generation XR facilities and will utilise innovative teaching and learning methods ensuring students are at the forefront of this emerging area and prepared for growing business needs - in line with the predicted job growth across all industry sectors.
Dr Nikos Savvas, Chief Executive of Eastern Colleges Group said:
"This is an incredibly exciting time for us as educators. We are looking to be the leading institution for Extended Reality education and neuro-diverse talent development for industry across post 16 education within the UK. This ambitious project will give students exceptional opportunities and will also offer businesses unique opportunities in training and collaboration."
The Award-winning UK-based architectural practice Windsor Patania Architects are developing the design of the facility, implementing the most innovative design solutions. Ryan Windsor, Development Director and Co-Founder said:
"At Windsor Patania, we’re keen to integrate cutting-edge technology like this into our architectural services. Fascinated by the technology, our team was thrilled to earn the opportunity to help deliver the XR Lab vision."
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West Suffolk College