Work begins on world-leading MRI centre

A Midlands-based construction firm has been appointed to deliver a new research facility in Nottingham that will house the UK’s most powerful MRI scanner.

G F Tomlinson is working with the University of Nottingham to build an extension to the Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre at the University Park Campus. 

The 250sq metres facility will accommodate an 11.7 Tesla Ultra High Field MRI scanner – a 70-tonne system designed to advance research into brain function and diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. 

Funded by UK Research and Innovation, the project aims to strengthen the UK’s position in world-leading brain imaging and research innovation.

Professor Richard Bowtell, director of the Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, said: “It’s a huge moment to see the building starting to take shape after months of meticulous planning for this complex project and we’re delighted to be working with GF Tomlinson.

“We’re extremely proud to be building on Sir Peter’s Mansfield’s legacy that started here with the invention of MRI in the 1970s. 

“The Ultra-High field scanner is the next generation in technology and will provide a step change in the capabilities of imaging research, opening up new opportunities for collaboration and innovation to bring new understanding to a range of diseases.”

The project includes creating an iron-shielded Magnet Hall, clinical spaces and welfare areas, with significant structural reinforcement to support the scanner and its surrounding infrastructure.

Designed in collaboration with the University’s leading academics, magnet supplier Tesla Engineering and scanner supplier Philips Healthcare, with the iron shielding having been engineered and installed by IMEDCO, the scheme forms part of a long-term partnership between G F Tomlinson and the University. 

Andy Sewards, group chairman at G F Tomlinson, added: “It’s a privilege to once again be supporting the University of Nottingham in delivering a facility that will have a lasting legacy in clinical research. 

“Having previously completed landmark schemes such as the Biodiscovery Institute, we are proud to be working once again at University Park Campus – as well as delivering projects across the University’s Castle Meadow and Jubilee Campuses.

“The Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre extension will become a cornerstone of medical excellence in the UK, and we’re pleased to be contributing our expertise to such a nationally significant facility.”

Construction began in July 2025 and is scheduled for completion in January 2027. 

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