The Cavendish Building

Your gateway to the world

Our ambition is to be a world-leading university, powered by first-class facilities, impactful research and an academic team renowned across the globe. The new Cavendish Building, home to Derby International Business School, represents a bold step towards realising that vision.

2ndfor course quality and employabilityUni Compare student review rankings 2026
2ndfor Business StudiesDaily Mail University Guide 2026
Top 5for satisfaction with teaching in EconomicsThe Guardian University Guide 2026

Our investment in your future

Opened in September 2025, the £75 million Cavendish Building is a seven-storey development in Derby city centre. It has been purpose-built to drive collaboration between students, academics and industry, with a focus on solving real-world challenges. This is more than a building - it's a dynamic environment designed to shape the next generation of business leaders and innovators.

Kathryn Mitchell, Vice Chancellor of the University of Derby

We are creating a blueprint for the business school of the future. By establishing close and meaningful relationships with industry, creating state-of-the-art facilities and undertaking excellent research, we are changing the way companies and individuals do business.

Professor Kathryn Mitchell CBE DL
Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, University of Derby

The future of business education

We understand that a business education must be practical, purposeful and global in outlook. Our courses are designed to equip you with the knowledge, confidence and experience to navigate a rapidly evolving world.

Every undergraduate programme includes embedded work experience, ensuring students gain industry exposure and graduate with real demonstrable skills. Our BSc (Hons) International Business and AI degree is the first of it's kind, designed in collaboration with industry giant Rolls-Royce where real-world AI meets global business, with direct industry experience from day one.

Teaching is shaped by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and emphasises ethical leadership, innovation and adaptability. Students work on live briefs and consultancy-style projects with businesses ranging from agile SMEs to multinational organisations, developing invaluable critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

Every Derby student becomes part of a dynamic, international community united by ambition, curiosity, and the desire to lead positive change.

Built for collaboration, informed by industry

The Cavendish Building has been designed in close consultation with leading employers, ensuring it meets the needs of both our students and industry. It boasts state-of-the-art, flexible learning spaces that promote collaboration, creativity and connectivity, including: 

  • a high-tech Creativity Lab to unlock new ideas
  • a fully equipped Trading Floor with Bloomberg and London Stock Exchange Group terminals
  • a specialist Supply Chain Lab
  • an immersive Extended Reality Suite to develop learning in a virtual environment

Every space is designed to stimulate real-world scenarios, fuel hands-on learning and spark creative thinking.

Crucially, the building brings industry and academia together under one roof. Businesses are able to lease space on-site, providing direct access to emerging talent, while our students benefit from authentic insights and professional mentorship. This proximity ensures our students are submersed in an ecosystem of innovation, and creates a continuous flow of ideas, knowledge and opportunities.

  • The Cavendish Building exterior
  • The staircases within the Cavendish Building from below
  • A lecture theatre within the Cavendish Building
  • The interior of the Cavendish Building including staircase
  • The foyer within the Cavendish Building
  • The Cavendish Building exterior
  • The interior of the Cavendish Building including staircase
  • The exterior of the Cavendish Building including living wall

Investing in the future of business

We are committed to building better business, a better society and a better future. Thanks to the generous support of individuals and organisations who share our ambition, we have raised nearly £2 million towards realising this vision.

Our research is driving real change - improving lives and protecting the planet. With your support, we can achieve even greater impact. You can play a vital role by supporting the creation of Professorial Chairs, funding PhD studentships, sponsoring learning spaces within The Cavendish Building or offering industry placements for our students.

Your investment in Derby International Business School empowers the next generation of business leaders, game-changers and innovators, and helps to shape a more sustainable and prosperous tomorrow.

Join us and help us build a better world.

Support the University of Derby

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Derby International Business School

Whether your ambitions are in accounting, business management, international business, economics and finance, marketing, event management, tourism management or hospitality management, we deliver a quality education where you not only learn about business but also get to do business.

Find out more about Derby International Business SchoolFind out more about Derby International Business School
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A UK-first Institute of Carbonomics, right here in Derby

Our researchers in the Institute of Carbonomics, based in the Cavendish Building, have the potential to change the course of history by finding leaner, greener business models that facilitate growth.

Find out more about how Derby is driving innovation in carbon economicsFind out more about how Derby is driving innovation in carbon economics

Theo Paphitis joins the Chancellor's Entrepreneur Club

Visiting Professor of Entrepreneurship Theo Paphitis has joined the University of Derby’s newly launched Chancellor’s Entrepreneur Club - a monthly mentoring community for students who want to build and grow ideas with real-world guidance.

Theo shares what students can expect from the club, and how his own journey can help shape and accelerate the advice he gives to Derby’s next generation of aspiring entrepreneurs.

Theo Paphitis on campus at the University of Derby

View Theo Paphitis joins the Chancellor's Entrepreneur Club video transcript