T E S T I N G AG-TECH CELEBRATING AT INVESTMENT Lincoln University is celebrating news that $85 million will be spent on its new state-of-the-art campus, to be shared by AgResearch. Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment 38 JULY 2017 and Science and Innovation Minister Paul Goldsmith says primary sector education, research and innovation will all be winners in the deal, which will see shared education and research facilities. The investment will help Lincoln University’s recovery from the Canterbury earthquakes by replacing earthquake-damaged buildings with modern teaching and research spaces. “This is a significant investment by the Government that will benefit students, the primary sector, and New Zealand as a whole,” Goldsmith says. “The new 27,000m² joint facility will enable increased collaboration, with researchers and academics organised by discipline rather than organisation, leading to an increase in the quantity, relevance and quality of agricultural-related research. The new facility will make an important contribution to creating a globally competitive agri-tech industry. By creating better links between research and industry, the new facility will improve innovation and the applicability and speed of technology transfer to industry.” The new buildings will be a key part of the Lincoln Hub – a specialist landbased innovation cluster in partnership with Lincoln University, AgResearch, Plant and Food Research, Landcare Research and DairyNZ. “The new facility will assist the growth of the ecosystem of science and education at Lincoln. It will play an important role in promoting a career in the agricultural sector for prospective students and staff, and will increase the number and quality of land-based sector graduates. I’m excited for this innovative new facility and I look forward to seeing its benefits realised,” Goldsmith says. The new facility will accommodate almost 700 staff, students and academics, and is comprised of five linked buildings which will be home to Lincoln University science research and teaching spaces, AgResearch laboratories, corporate facilities, and office spaces and facilities for DairyNZ. Construction of the new buildings is scheduled to be completed by December 2019.
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