Warwick University is to more than double the scale of a new “digital laboratory,” taking the cost of the project – aimed at breaking down barriers with business – to £120m ($238m).

The facility is the brainchild of Lord Bhattacharyya, a Labour peer and Warwick professor, and will involve commercial collaborators including Airbus, Corus, GE Healthcare, Land Rover ­Jaguar and Siemens.