THE University of Sunderland is celebrating a £250,000 boost towards its centre of arts excellence.
The grant, from the Northern Rock Foundation, will help the university start the next stage of its £20m centre for the arts design and media at St Peter's campus, on the banks of the Wear.
The centre will provide the latest teaching, research and commercial facilities for a range of subjects, bringing together expertise in digital media, creative arts information technology and entertainment.
The contribution will also help to develop over 4,000sq m of studios, workshops and edit suites, along with facilities for TV and radio production, journalism and digital imaging.
Last October, Oscar-winning film maker Lord Puttnam - the university's chancellor - joined a host of North-East celebrities to launch a campaign to raise the funding for the project.
Half of the cost will be met through higher education funding, the sale of some older university property and through grants and loans.
The remaining £10m is being raised by the university's development trust campaign.
University vice-chancellor Professor Peter Fidler said yesterday: "We are very grateful to the Northern Rock Foundation for its generous contribution."
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