Ambitious plans for new £43m electronics and biology facilities at York University could bring more than 300 new jobs to the city.

Andy Macdonald, director of facilities management at the University of York, shows the model of the proposed building today

University bosses have applied to central government and the Wellcome Trust for funds from a central £750m pot to finance the scheme.

But a university spokesperson warned today there would be fierce competition from other British universities for the money.

She said: "Nothing is definite yet. The £750m fund is being applied to by every single university in the country. It is highly competitive."

The scheme passed its first hurdle last week when City of York Council granted planning permission.

If it goes ahead it would mean the electronics department for the first time getting its own, state-of-the-art new facilities in a new three-storey building.

The department, which is doing exciting research into communications systems and new ways of creating electronic music and is also developing powerful new electron microscopes, currently shares a building with the physics department.

Much of its work leads to profitable spin-offs.

There would also be major improvements to the biology department. All the development would take place within the existing university campus.

If the scheme does go ahead, it would mean at least 300 new jobs for local people, including technicians, secretarial and clerical jobs.

There would also be a number of top academic posts, which would be open to candidates from all over the country.

The development could also help attract fresh inward investment to the city.

The university, which was ranked ninth-best in the country in university league tables published recently by the Financial Times and has been consistently in the top ten in recent years, has an established record as a centre of research excellence.

But the spokeswoman said to maintain its place in the top ten, it needed to continue to invest.

The university expects to hear before Christmas if it has been successful in its bid for funding, she said.

The scheme is part of a strategy to upgrade the unvsersity's buildings, which mostly date from the 1960s.

Andy Macdonald, director of facilities management at the university, said the campus was 36 years old and more than half the buildings were still pre-fabricated.

"When they were built, they had a lifetime of 60 years," he said. "That started running 35 years ago. We have to start work on phasing them out now."

Roy Templeman, City of York Council's director of environment and development services, said today it would be excellent news for the city if the scheme were to get funding.

It would not only mean new jobs at the university itself, but could also pave the way to attract further inward investment into the city, especially in the bioscience and technology industries.

He said: "The university has worked very well with the council in making sure these developments fit in with the existing campus and are respectful of the local community."

City of York Council leader Councillor Rod Hills said the fact the scheme had won planning permission, the key to applying for central government funding, was a 'tribute to all the hard work a lot of people have put in'.

If the scheme were successful, it would be "very good news for the city" and a real boost in attracting new jobs, he said.

The university has been working with the council to draw up a green travel plan to minimise the impact of journeys to work, if the scheme does go ahead.

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