Major milestone as keys to new Business School officially handed over

The University of Derby has been officially handed the keys to The Cavendish Building – the new state-of-the-art home of the Derby International Business School.

Located in the heart of the city centre, The Cavendish Building is set to offer inspirational teaching in a setting to match and will help to establish the city as a destination of choice for students, academics and industry.

The seven-storey building features cutting-edge facilities including a Google-style creativity lab, a finance lab for budding investment bankers complete with Bloomberg and London Stock Exchange Group terminals, a logistics lab, a creativity lab and an XR suite to create an immersive learning experience.

Now that construction has been completed by Kier Construction, the final touches will be undertaken by the university, ready for students starting in September.

Professor Kathryn Mitchell CBE DL, vice-chancellor and chief executive of the University of Derby, said: “We are delighted to be one step closer to opening the doors of our Cavendish Building.

“This is an incredibly exciting time for the university as this new landmark building will serve as a dynamic hub where industry, students and academics come together to drive innovation and shape a better future for society.

“Designed for applied learning and pioneering research, the new space will foster collaboration and empower industry and academic partnerships for impact across the globe.”

With small businesses and start-ups set to be co-located within the building, complementing the University of Derby’s links with global organisations such as Rolls-Royce, Toyota Manufacturing UK and the NHS, The Cavendish Building will also act as a go-to hub in supporting its ambition to be the ‘University for Industry’.

Dr Nicola Lynch, head of Derby International Business School, said: “Our priority from the outset was for The Cavendish Building to be a central hub where students, academics and industry co-locate, co-create, share knowledge, gain skills and collaborate to help solve some of the world’s biggest challenges.

“We look forward to further strengthening our business partnerships and to continue developing a blueprint for how universities can work effectively and meaningfully with industry.”

Tony Shenton, regional director of Kier Construction Eastern & Midlands, said: “Handing over this world-class business school building is a major milestone, and we are delighted to celebrate it with the University of Derby.

“The new Cavendish Building is cutting-edge, bespoke in its design and is a testament to Kier’s skills and experience in delivering modern and sustainable learning environments.

“This flagship building will serve as a hub of collaboration and learning, benefitting the staff, students and local community for decades to come.”