An £8m Physical Education and Sports Science Centre has opened at the University of Bedfordshire’s Polhill campus in Bedford.

The new facility – which was opened by Sue Campbell, chair of UK Sport – features two sport science laboratories, two gymnasiums and two dance studios.

The centre will be home to students and lecturers at the university, as well as a range of commercial services for elite performers, recreational sports people, local businesses and Primary Care Trusts.

The centre may also used as a training facility during the 2012 Olympic Games, should Bedfordshire be accepted as a pre-Games training camp.

The laboratories boast equipment such as a Cortex Metalyser, which monitors the amount of oxygen the body uses; a Kin Com isokinetic dynamometer, which tests muscle strength; a body pod, which measures body fat and lean tissue and an environmental chamber, which allows athletes to acclimatise to hot or cold conditions.

Professor Kate Jacques, pro-vice chancellor and dean of the Bedford campus, said: “The opening of this facility is a major boost for the region. The new gymnasia and dance studios will also be available to local schools, clubs and teams providing a facility of games, athletics, gymnastics and dance.”

Funding came from the University itself – including proceeds from the sale of its Lansdowne Road campus – and from the Higher Education Funding Council for England.