The project came to prominence on 12 February, when the chancellor, George Osborne, that the government ¡°will support development of major new uni in Hereford¡±.

Mr Osborne added that he had ¡°asked Greg Clark [the universities and science minister] to examine how to do this, working with¡± the University of Bristol.

The nascent institution¡¯s website, , says the mission of the institution ¨C which aims to open in 2017 ¨C will be to ¡°equip students of all ages with the critical abilities to effectively challenge the?status quo?in a world dominated by science and technology, and characterised by global competition and?the need for sustainable coexistence¡±.

It also states: ¡°Over the next 5-15 years, the university project team will design, build, staff, fund, market and launch a world class institution of higher education designed to teach and prepare world-class, work-ready graduates.¡±

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The university will also seek its own Royal Charter in the future and ¡°is being conceived as a not-for-profit institution, with mixed funding, and operating with input from The John Lewis Partnership model¡±.

The website also states that Sir John, who left Oxford in 2009, is ¡°senior advisor¡± and among its directors. Sir John was regarded as unpopular with some academics at Oxford, who in 2006 voted down his plans to change the university¡¯s traditions of academic self-government and bring in external appointees to oversee finances.

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David Sheppard, one of the project¡¯s directors, said the plan is to formally launch the project next month.

He said the university would be ¡°a small institution focused on the teaching of engineering¡±.

Mr Sheppard said that the project had begun from the premise that the Hereford area is one of the ¡°more deprived¡± areas in England and that ¡°universities do have a transformative effect¡±. But it had since ¡°morphed into other things¡±, he added.

The website says that a ¡°working?Development Team has been in place since late 2012, and is comprised of local business people and educators¡±.

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It adds: ¡°With seed financing of ?3-4 million and an additional ?10-13 million to open the university in 2017, the board will be tasked over succeeding years with securing an additional ?50-?75 million in financing; integrating resources from personal and corporate philanthropy, the social capital market, private investment, UK & EU Government funding, public sector asset transfers, and industry sponsorships.¡±

john.morgan@tesglobal.com