ANU Council approves new capital works

The Australian National University Council has approved a new model for capital works investment to enable the construction of two buildings, to house the Research School of Social Sciences (RSSS) and to bring together the Mathematical Sciences Institute (MSI) and the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS). The new facilities will provide new space for work and learning for more than 800 staff and students. The new funding arrangements also allow for the future development of the Physics Stage 1 project, and the refurbishment of the Research School of Biology's Robertson buildings, from 2017. Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Young, AO, said the projects had been made possible by a strategic change in the way the university manages funding for capital works, with the money pooled for better long-term investment. "Previously, capital works funding was distributed annually between the University's Colleges, which limited the potential for major works," Professor Young said. "The new approach came about as a result of an agreement between all Colleges to pool the available funds over the long term, with major projects now able to be funded on a priority basis." Under the new model, $75 million will be made available from the three-year funding pool for two buildings. One building will house the Research School of Social Sciences, and the second will bring together the MSI and CECS.