Construction on the new National Institute for Sport and Health (NISH) has officially commenced.
The four-storey flagship development located at the entrance to Swansea Bay Sports Park is being delivered for Swansea University and is funded through the Swansea Bay City Deal, with support from Swansea Council and local health boards.
Multi-disciplinary consultancy Pick Everard has been appointed as project manager, working alongside architects Powell Dobson and main contractor Willmott Dixon.
Designed as a first-of-its-kind facility in the UK, NISH will bring together public, private and academic partners within a single innovation ecosystem.
The institute will focus on accelerating growth in sport technology, medical technology and healthcare innovation, while supporting regional economic development, job creation and inward investment across the Swansea Bay City Region.
The building will have a wide range of specialist accommodation, including collaborative workspaces, an innovation centre for commercial partners, seminar and teaching spaces, media studios, sports technology laboratories, and demonstration classrooms.
The National Institute for Sport and Health will help put Swansea – and Wales – on the global map for cutting-edge research, product development, and community health innovation
Gareth Taylor, Principal Project Manager at Pick Everard, said: “Being involved from the early stages has given us a real understanding of how the building needs to operate, both now and in the future. With the potential to make a genuine impact on health, sport and technology, delivering a project of this scale requires close collaboration across the full project team, and it’s positive to see construction now underway and the scheme moving into its next phase.”
Professor Keith Lloyd, NISH Director said: “The National Institute for Sport and Health will help put Swansea – and Wales – on the global map for cutting-edge research, product development, and community health innovation. It will serve as a catalyst for discovery, investment, and improved wellbeing.”
The Institute will serve as the anchor building for a broader Science and Innovation Park. It will provide a real-world environment where new technologies can be developed, tested and scaled, addressing a recognised gap in the UK’s centralised sports technology infrastructure.
The project is expected to generate over 1,000 jobs in the Swansea area and will be worth over £150 million to the regional economy by 2033.