The proposals in the running for the second wave of the government’s flagship Institutes of Technology have been revealed.
There are 13 bids going into the final stage for the £120 million of funding announced by education secretary Gavin Williamson at the Conservative Party conference two years ago. They will be whittled down to eight winners later this year.

The first wave of 12 institutes were given the go-ahead in 2019.
This second wave, which opened for applications last October, is intended to help the network of institutes “achieve nationwide coverage across all regions”.
This pledge was later confirmed in the Skills for Jobs white paper, which promised to “expand our flagship Institutes of Technology programme to every part of the country by the end of this Parliament”.
Institutes of technology are collaborations between colleges and universities, intended to deliver higher technical training in science, technology, engineering and maths subjects.
In April 2019, the Department for Education announced it was looking into tendering for more institutes than the initial 12 after FE Week found there were none in the north-west and the east of England.
Bids in this second wave include proposals for IoTs led by the north-west-based Blackpool and The Fylde College, and by the University of Suffolk in the east.
The £120 million up for grabs will fund capital projects to create the institutes.
A total of 15 bids were received in stage 1 of the process. Of those, 13 applicants have been invited to progress to stage 2 which will “test the viability, feasibility and deliverability of proposals in more detail”.
Here is a list of the 13 bids, their lead sponsors, higher education partners, and sector specialisms:
Lead Applicant of IoT proposal |
FE Core Partners |
HE Core Partners |
Sector Specialism |
Blackpool and The Fylde College |
Burnley CollegeLancaster and Morecambe CollegeNelson and Colne CollegePreston’s CollegeRunshaw College |
Edge Hill UniversityLancaster UniversityUniversity of Central Lancashire |
DigitalEngineeringHealth and Life SciencesManufacturingInfrastructure (Built Environment, Energy and Transport) |
Cheshire College South and West |
Macclesfield CollegeReaseheath CollegeWarrington and Vale Royal College |
University of Chester |
Agritech/Precision AgricultureDigitalEngineeringHealth and Life SciencesInfrastructure (Built Environment, Energy and Transport)Manufacturing |
Chichester College Group |
Crawley CollegeBrinsbury CollegeHaywards Heath CollegeNorth East Surrey College of Technology (NESCOT)Worthing College |
University of BrightonUniversity of Sussex |
ConstructionEngineering and Manufacturing TechnologiesInformation & Communication Technologies |
DN Colleges Group |
Barnsley CollegeDoncaster College (DN Colleges Group) |
Sheffield Hallam UniversityThe University of Sheffield, Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre Training Centre (AMRCTC) |
ConstructionEngineering and ManufacturingDigitalHealthcare Sciences |
Furness College |
Furness CollegeKendal CollegeLakes College |
University of Cumbria |
Engineering and Manufacturing TechnologiesHealth, Public Service and CareInformation and Communication Technology |
Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group |
Axia Solutions LtdBurton and South Derbyshire CollegeNewcastle & Stafford Colleges Group |
Keele University |
Construction, Planning and the Built EnvironmentEngineering and Manufacturing TechnologiesInformation & Communication Technologies |
Solent University |
Brockenhurst CollegeEastleigh CollegeFareham CollegeHavant and South Downs CollegeIsle of Wight College |
University of Portsmouth |
Engineering and Manufacturing TechnologiesInformation and Communication TechnologyScience and Mathematics |
South Essex College |
Chelmsford CollegeEast Sussex CollegeHarlow CollegeMid Kent CollegePlumpton College |
Anglia Ruskin UniversityUniversity of East Anglia |
Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal CareConstruction, Planning & the Built EnvironmentEngineering and Manufacturing TechnologiesHealth, Public Service and CareInformation & Communication TechnologyRetail and Commercial Enterprise |
University of Derby |
Derby CollegeLoughborough College |
Loughborough University |
DigitalEngineeringInfrastructureManufacturing |
University of Hertfordshire |
North Hertfordshire CollegeWest Herts College |
The Royal Veterinary College |
DigitalInfrastructure (Built Environment)Life Sciences |
University of Leicester |
Leicester CollegeSMB Group – Stephenson Melton Brooksby College |
De Montfort University |
Engineering and Manufacturing TechnologiesInformation and Communication TechnologyScience and Mathematics |
University of Salford |
Ada, the National College for Digital SkillsBury CollegeTameside CollegeWigan and Leigh College |
Construction, Planning and the Built EnvironmentEngineering and Manufacturing TechnologiesHealth, Public Service and CareInformation and Communication technology |
|
University of Suffolk |
East Coast CollegeThe College of West Anglia |
Norwich University of the Arts |
Agriculture, Environment and Animal CareConstructionCreative and DesignDigitalEngineering and ManufacturingHealth and ScienceTransport and Logistics |
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