Innovation Centre 

Flexible office space, meeting rooms and business support

Nestled between the Essex Business School and the Parkside Office Village the Innovation Centre is extending the established business community on the Knowledge Gateway research and technology park.

Located on our Colchester Campus, the Centre is at the heart of our Knowledge Gateway masterplan, in which we envisage 2,000 people eventually working and growing their businesses here.

Currently there are over 30 businesses taking advantage of state-of-the-art office space, flexible working solutions and excellent in business support services that are allowing businesses to scale up.
 

Customers are being attracted by the excellent business accommodation and also the flourishing business community, academic support and on-campus resources and facilities provided by a leading research-intensive university.

This development further supports our commitment to boosting the economic impact of the University in the eastern region with partners such as Oxford Innovation.

Now the centre has been open, case studies are starting to come through on the innovative companies benefitting from this world class bespoke support.

Essex joins forces with Oxford Innovation

Oxford Innovation, the UK’s largest innovation centre operator, is working in partnership with the University to manage this space. Jo Stevens, Managing Director of Oxford Innovation, said: “This new, purpose-built centre will be the core of a dynamic and innovative cluster drawing on and driven by collaboration between business and the University, stakeholder support, and wide-ranging networks at local, national and international level.”

“Focusing on supporting early stage businesses and start-ups from the region and spin-outs from the University, we will provide a range of office space solutions, impressive meeting and conference facilities and access to specialist on-site business support.”

Fresh coffee at Mission Cafe and fresh ideas at Studio X

Alongside the space managed by Oxford Innovation, Innovation Centre, Knowledge Gateway includes the Mission Cafe plus Studio X the home of Essex Startups, our University Enterprise Zone projects and unique facilities such as our 360˚ VR Projection Space. Studio X is a space for students to develop business ideas, for entrepreneurs to connect with the University and for Essex to showcase its research in the creative and digital sectors.

Find out more on how we can support your business on the Innovation Centre, Knowledge Gateway website.