New £5.8 million cyber and digital centre opens at University of Gloucestershire

GCHQ director Anne Keast-Butler recently visited the University of Gloucestershire to open FuturePark — a new £5.8 million centre of excellence for cyber and digital.

Funded by the Office for Students, the new centre has created a future-facing space for cyber, games and computing courses based at the university's Park Campus in Cheltenham. 

The project, which will play a key role in cementing Cheltenham, Gloucestershire and the region as the cyber capital of the UK, has been developed in consultation with CyNam, Hub8 and Plexal, offering state-of-the-art equipment and technology for more than 500 students; plus, the facilities are also available for local businesses and community organisations to use. 

Dame Clare Marchant, DBE, vice chancellor for University of Gloucestershire, said: 'With Cheltenham already home to leading national and international organisations, we’re proud to be raising the bar even higher with our own facilities as we look forward to plans for Golden Valley taking shape.  

'This new space marks our commitment to supporting Cheltenham’s vision of becoming the cyber capital of the UK and a centre of excellence for computing and digital technologies. It also works towards our wider vision of creating connected campuses which support our students in collaborating and building networks with each other and the wider community. 

'By investing in our facilities and in the analysts, coders and designers of the future, we can ensure local employers have the skills they need to realise the region’s growth ambitions. At the same time, we can ensure our students and graduates are able to achieve their potential here in Gloucestershire.'

Anne Keast-Butler said: 'It is a pleasure to be opening this fantastic new facility, right on the doorstep of GCHQ.  

'If we are to meet the growing challenges of an uncertain world, it is essential that we collaborate with business and our universities, and that together we nurture the talent coming through our education system. 

'This new centre will be a beacon of opportunity, providing a space to unlock curiosity and find creative solutions to the challenges we a face. Environments such as this are key as they help support shared approaches to problem-solving which enable us to remain resilient and on the forefront of technological development.'