Work starts on new generation research park at the University

If you have driven along the A133 recently, past the University's Colchester Campus, you may have noticed we are building on the land that runs away from Clingoe Hill down towards the river and the railway track. Our vision is to create a new generation research park, the 'Knowledge Gateway', next to the University Campus, where research, innovation and business can flourish, and which will help to establish Colchester as an internationally renowned centre for education, jobs and great lifestyle.

The Knowledge Gateway will include an office village known as ‘Parkside', with business units able to accommodate all sizes of companies, plus a hotel and various leisure and retail facilities. The infrastructure works on the site are due for completion in summer 2011, and the first phase of office units is scheduled to be available from mid-2012. We shall also be constructing some student accommodation on the land nearby, and in the future, private residential houses and a new building for the University's very successful Essex Business School.

The Knowledge Gateway will be anchored by the University's Institute for Democracy and Conflict Resolution (known as the 'IDCR'), which will be housed in an inspirational building designed by world-renowned architect and Essex alumnus, Daniel Libeskind. The IDCR will work with a wide range of national and international organisations, drawing on the expertise in both social and physical sciences developed over the last 45 years at the University. It will allow Essex to play a leading, independent role in forging and maintaining sustainable democracies, working to prevent and resolve conflicts. The IDCR will act as a portal, through which various organisations, companies and governments can collaborate to help support and stabilise new nations.

While the building of the Knowledge Gateway proceeds at a pace, we are also proud to announce the impending launch of an exciting new development within the Colchester Campus - the creation of the ‘Collaboration Hub'. This is a specially designated area on campus which will offer a variety of business services and support, targeting small enterprises wishing to work more closely with the University. Facilities on offer will range from ‘virtual office' addresses and occasional hot-desk spaces to small individual office units. The goal is, that with our support and collaboration within the Hub, these companies will flourish and become the first tenants for the Parkside development when it is completed.

if you would like more information, please visit the Knowledge Gateway website.