The man behind the establishment of a new centre of academic excellence in Hereford was guest speaker at the Herefordshire Conservative Business Forum.

Professor Janusz Kozinski, founding president and chief executive of what is planned to become the new University of Hereford, said it was being set up on solid foundations.

The recent announcement of a further £15 million in Government funding, bringing the total to £23 million, had left him ‘walking on air’ he told the forum, which met at the Harewood End Inn.

Professor Kozinski was very pleased with this support but said there was also a £75 million fund-raising campaign in progress. He was delighted that £1.1 million had been raised locally and thanked the community for such commitment and support.

He said it was intended that the institution, currently titled a A New Model in Technology and Engineering, would be renamed as a university in January, accredited by Warwick University and by the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Engineering programmes would be new, bold, different, rigorous and demanding. The Hereford engineering community would be known all over the world, he said Hereford University had already been invited to speak at Kuala Lumpar in Malaysia.

He said: “The course will put humans as the centre. Our students will be the first thought and not the building, or structures or communication methods. This is a totally opposite process in creating a new University. This will change the teaching methods.”

The university would enjoy a healthy partnership as part of the core of the city of Hereford and not in an out-of-town location. Shire Hall is planned as one of the city spaces to be utilised.

Prof Kozinski continued: “The engineering course, working with Government and industry partners, will include other subjects such as business, law, finance, marketing, resources and art. Our students need to have creative confidence.

“Furthermore, the course will be a Graduate and a Masters course combined, all completed within three years as it will be undertaken over 46 weeks every year.”

In thanking Prof Kozinski, Phil Collins said: “To be prepared for a job rather than just a qualification is the way forward.”

Anthea McIntyre, Conservative MEP for the West Midlands and Chairman of the Herefordshire Conservative Business Forum, said: “We have something special happening in Herefordshire and we all look forward to the future with great enthusiasm.”