Marconi gives Pounds 40m to Cambridge

Cambridge University has accepted its largest ever corporate gift - a Pounds 40 million commitment by communications giant Marconi plc to set up a communications research centre.

The Marconi Communications Centre, to be based at the university's West Cambridge technology site, will research new technology for the internet and data transmission.

Some Pounds 10 million will be spent on the building, with Pounds 18 million committed to the university's research programme and Pounds 12 million for an embedded Marconi research laboratory.