Innovation centre
An innovation centre is a managed building where young technology companies rent flexible office space and share meeting rooms and business support under one roof. In Cambridge, one example is St John's Innovation Centre, which opened in 1987 and describes itself as the first innovation centre of its type in Europe.
In practice
The idea came from Dr Chris Johnson, then Senior Bursar of St John's College, after a tour of similar facilities in the United States in 1984. The centre combines workspace with business incubation support, so a company can start small and take on more space as it grows. It stands in St John's Innovation Park, which the centre describes as a cornerstone of the North Cambridge research and development cluster.
Why it matters to newcomers
For a founder, an innovation centre is often the first proper business address: short commitments, shared facilities and neighbours working on similar problems. For anyone looking for work in technology, it helps to know that many small companies in Cambridge are based in buildings like this rather than in large offices, so it is worth looking at who is based there.
Related
- Science park - the larger managed research estate
- Spin-out - the kind of company that often starts in shared space
- Silicon Fen: Cambridge tech cluster guide
Source: History, St John's Innovation Centre.