“It’s tone deaf to be celebrating a multi million investment when staff are currently concerned for their jobs.” said a Professor at the University of Sheffield.
Work has begun on a major new health research facility at the University of Sheffield, just meters
from where staff were striking over continuing cuts to jobs and courses.
The University has not responded directly to criticisms of its spending priorities but has defended the new development as continuation that will “grow our research programs, supported by cutting-edge scientific facilities and equipment, expand our drug discovery programmes and build on promising areas such as cell and gene therapy.” Professor Dame Pamela Shaw, Professor of Neurology at the University of Sheffield.
Clegg Construction has started work on a £16 million expansion of the Sheffield Institute for
Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), a globally recognised centre for research into motor neurone
disease, Parkinson’s, dementia, and multiple sclerosis.
Located at the corner of Glossop Road and Clarkehouse Road, it will replace the Barber House Annex and Central Garages with a modern three-storey building, connecting directly to the existing SITraN hub. The building will house cutting-edge labs, flexible teaching areas, offices, and workspaces.
The project is scheduled for completion in September 2026.
The build is Clegg Construction’s fourth contract with the University of Sheffield. The development will
further support SITraN’s critical work and strengthen links with the clinical teams at Royal
Hallamshire Hospital.
But not everyone is celebrating the investment. University staff continue strike action this term in
protest against job losses and proposed course closures across several departments.
A Professor at the University of Sheffield, who does not wish to be named, said: “It’s tone deaf to be celebrating a multi million investment when staff are currently concerned for their jobs.
“While we all want the students to have access to wonderful facilities, there’s certainly questions over the timing of these announcements.”
University staff across multiple faculties are currently staging industrial action against what they
describe as a growing disconnect between capital investment and support for teaching and student
wellbeing. Several, departments including Archaeology, Languages, and English, have seen staff
face redundancy or cuts to core modules.
As the new building takes shape, the contrast between infrastructural ambition and academic
precarity continues to spark debate.