The University of Bedfordshire is based in Luton and Bedford,the two largest towns in the English county of Bedfordshire.The university was created by the merger of the University of Luton and the Bedford campus of De Montfort University on 1 August 2006 following approval by the Privy Council.The University of Luton purchased the De Montfort campus in Bedford for £15 million.
The Bedford Campus of the University has been selected as an official training site for the London 2012 Olympics.The campus is hoping to attract a major national team to train there for the event,and will act as a main hub for other training sites in the Bedford area.In June 2009 it was reported that over 13 national teams have expressed an interest in using the Bedford campus for their olympic preparations.