Knowledge Quarter

🎉 It’s the beginning of a ground-breaking era (literally and figuratively) for us at the Knowledge Quarter. It’s too good of a story not to begin sharing with you on here. The Knowledge Quarter (KQ) began with a dream to connect the academic, cultural, research, scientific, creative and community organisations located within a one-mile radius of King’s Cross Station, at the very heart of London. From centuries-old institutions like The British Museum and University of London, to more recent arrivals like The Alan Turing Institute and Google, we’ve joined together over 100 diverse partner organisations to date 🤝 Building a network across these world-leading knowledge-based institutions has enabled some incredible collaborations — from supporting connections between The Francis Crick Institute and The British Library to set up a coronavirus swabbing facility at the start of the pandemic, to bringing together UCL, Arup, Wellcome Trust and other partners last week to discuss the findings of our recent generative AI survey (report coming soon) and the responsible adoption of the technology in the area. The innovative projects that are born from unexpected cross-disciplinary partnerships continually motivates us to connect all knowledge seekers who live and work in this vibrant neighbourhood. We want to support everyone to make the most of our combined resources and get this corner of London buzzing with creative energy. We have some very exciting things to share with you over the coming weeks and months, including exclusive local events and a brand-new office space opened in partnership with Impact Hub London. We'd love for you to pop by and say hello! We’ll stay in touch, on here and via our newsletter 🤙 Check out our new workspace: https://lnkd.in/eqvVXsAj Sign up to our monthly newsletter: https://lnkd.in/e2NAhBHd #KnowledgeQuarterLondon #InnovationDistrict #KnowledgeExchange #LondonCulture #London

🧪 "By the end of 2026, lab space constructed in London will have nearly doubled in comparison to lab space constructed between 2021-2024—to 2M ft²." "It is forecast that we will see a 7 fold increase by 2032 to 7.2M ft²..." "Sites in the #KnowledgeQuarter and SC1 London Life Sciences Innovation District are due to see the greatest increase in lab space provision by 2032 at 2.5M ft² and 2M ft² of development respectively." (London Lab Showcase Report, July 2024) 👩🔬 We are delighted to see the significant lab space growth in our area emphasised in clear quantitative terms in this new report.

🎊 The annual Regent's Roots Festival is happening this Saturday (tomorrow!), right in front of our offices in Regent's Place. An eclectic programme is in store, including the opportunity to plant native wildflower seeds with our partner The British Library and a free community feast 🍽

🔔 Partner Job Openings

📍 “We picked London and the King’s Cross site for very specific reasons,” said Dean Y. Li, MD, PhD, President of MSD Research Labs, on BBC Radio 4's Today programme yesterday. Li's talking about MSD in the UK’s move into their brand new “Skylab” on the roof of The Francis Crick Institute. “If you look at that site, you look at all the great hospitals you have, all the great science you have… I would also emphasize how much of the data science world is moving to King’s Cross — this is an especially vibrant place for us to be.” Valuable cross-industry collisions are one reason why Relation, another KQ partner, is also in the neighbourhood. Relation CEO David Roblin explained that, rather than the simple two-parameter XY graph most of us see in school, his biocomputational company is dealing with billion-parameter models. This requires bringing together diverse experts including computational scientists, engineers, biologists, chemists, physicians, and more. The programme concludes: “There is no doubt something really exciting is happening here at King’s Cross. When you add Oxford and Cambridge into the thinking… then a high tech life sciences cluster that could one day rival Boston, Massachusetts or the Bay Area in San Francisco becomes a distinct possibility.” Just watch. 👂 If you're curious, listen in from 2:48: https://lnkd.in/dF3gGF3S

⚡️ What really excites us at the KQ are innovative cross-sector partnerships. The Camden Schools Art Biennale exemplifies such a partnership, being the result of a special collaboration between our partners London Borough of Camden and Central Saint Martins, University of The Arts London (CSM) 🤝 It also brought together an interdisciplinary team of educators, policymakers, and various professionals from the creative arts sector. We were honoured to host a private view of the inaugural Biennale last week. Kate Keara Pelen and Councillor Marcus Boyland led an inspiring tour, folding us into important conversations about the future of creative education in the UK. Thanks to the exhibition, more young children visited CSM in one week than typically do in an entire year. The Biennale demonstrates that prestigious institutions can be inclusive spaces where local youth and communities can find belonging. Accessible design considerations for the space included low sightlines for the exhibits, accessible signage, and open areas for hands-on workshops and just running around. This is only the beginning. As a bi-annual event, the Biennale team has ambitions to expand exhibits across the borough. We can’t wait to see how it evolves in 2026! 🤙 Follow us on here or connect with us via newsletter to be the first to know about similar upcoming KQ CONNECT private views and other events: https://lnkd.in/e2NAhBHd #CamdenBiennale #KQCONNECT

Welcome GSK to the Knowledge Quarter! We are thrilled to see GSK move their headquarters into the Knowledge Quarter, strengthening our emerging net zero, life sciences ecosystem. Exciting times are ahead for our neighbourhood! #LifeSciences #Innovation #KnowledgeCluster 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dsga-sB9

🔔 Job Opening Our partner the Royal Veterinary College is looking for a permanent part-time Careers Consultant to support students and graduates to acquire the skills necessary to choose their future path, find employment, and manage their careers successfully. 👉 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/eJm-f7cz

Looking for a new workspace or just a change of environment for a day? Come visit our new office next week! 👋