The European Investment Bank and University College London have renewed their agreement to support a Master of Science degree in Infrastructure Investment and Finance.

Jonathan Taylor, EIB Vice President, and Alan Penn, Dean of the Bartlett faculty of the built environment, signed the five year Memorandum of Understanding on Monday in London. Staff from the EIB teach on the Masters programme which was launched in 2013 to enable infrastructure specialists to develop the multi-disciplinary skills essential for effective financing and delivery of complex infrastructure projects.

Based in The Bartlett School of Construction and Project Management, the Master recognises the importance of infrastructure -the bulk of EIB lending activities- for stable, sustained growth and prosperity across the developed and developing world. It is unique globally and brings together academic research, industry experience and policy best practice.

This renewed agreement is one of the many partnerships the European Investment Bank Group (the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund) has with universities or university networks to exchange knowledge and expertise, and to stimulate discussion on areas of interest and which are managed by the EIB Institute. More specifically, the EIB Institute promotes students’ consultancy projects called capstones and organises academic courses provided by EIB Group staff on the EIB Group’s role, missions and activities.

In April 2016, UCL (University College London) agreed a £280 million loan with the EIB to develop its Bloomsbury and UCL East campuses, the largest sum ever lent by the EIB to a university. Projects in Bloomsbury include the refurbishment and expansion of the prestigious Bartlett School of Architecture which will house nearly 1,000 staff and students and the building of a new student centre.