(Office hours 08.30am-5:00pm)

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| 01206 405 500

Scale your business in our thriving community of innovation

A bold home for innovative businesses in Essex

Find your workspace

01206 405 500
Office hours 08:30am – 5:00pm

Innovation Centre
Knowledge Gateway, Boundary Road, Colchester, CO4 3ZQ

The Innovation Centre is the focal point for the University of Essex’s Knowledge Gateway; a research and technology park situated on their Colchester campus.

A creative hub for innovation

ICKG is a place where start-up and early stage innovative businesses can rent flexible office space, book impressive meeting and conference facilities, benefit from business support, and have access to research expertise – as well as student and graduate talent.

The Innovation Centre is based at the University of Essex’s Colchester Campus, which is an official University Enterprise Zone designated by the Government as a centre for nurturing and supporting new digital and creative businesses.

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A catalyst for growth

By supporting fast growing and early stage businesses, the Innovation Centre is helping the University to drive economic growth in the East of England, and establish this area as a globally-recognised centre for innovation. Combined with the excellent facilities on the University campus, the thriving hub of the Knowledge Gateway is an essential place for entrepreneurs and like-minded business owners to base themselves and develop new ideas.

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A strong partnership

Innovation Centre, Knowledge Gateway is a partnership between the University of Essex (University of the Year at the Times Higher Education Awards 2018) and Oxford Innovation (the UK’s leading Innovation Centre operator). Their joint aim is to make high-tech and creative start-up and scale-up businesses into sustainable and commercial successes, which has a continuous positive impact on the local economy.

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What our customers say

“The Innovation Centre is a great location for young thriving tech businesses. The facilities, business community and support have been invaluable to us and would benefit any business. ICKG is located in the University of Essex’s Enterprise Zone, and this has been of particular benefit to us as we work closely with the University’s academics, students from the drama school, and we are also looking to hire interns and graduates to build our human resources capacity.”
Angela Knox
Angela Knox
Keep Fit Eat Fit
“Have found the staff, facilities & professional experience at ICKG of real beneficial support to the development & growth of my business. Great value for money with a very high standard of customer care, plus positive engagement - especially in these current challenging times - with good safe working practices deployed to ensure business as usual”
Tony Parker
Tony Parker
Borland Insurance

Meet the team

Duncan
Bird

Innovation
Director

Read bio

Deborah
Fowler

Centre Support Manager

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Karly
Jarvis

Assistant Centre Manager

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Penny
Horey

Customer Experience Assistant

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Interested in joining our community?

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Find out how our customers are thriving at ICKG

Grow your innovative business at the University of Essex’s Knowledge Gateway.

For more information about pricing, availability or to arrange a tour, please get in touch.

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10 minutes from Colchester High Street

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26 miles from Chelmsford on the A12

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46 minutes from London Liverpool Street

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30 miles to London Stansted Airport

  • 01206 405 500
    Office hours 08:30am - 5:00pm
  • Innovation Centre
    Knowledge Gateway, Boundary Road, Colchester, CO4 3ZQ
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Duncan Bird

Innovation Director

For three decades, Duncan has operated at the intersection of culture, commerce, and technology—turning ideas into icons and curiosity into campaigns that resonate globally.

Duncan has held game-changing roles, including VP of Marketing at Sony Music and VP of Brand & Digital at Fiverr, where he helped elevate Fiverr to a globally recognised NYSE-listed brand—leading the company to its first Super Bowl campaign a $7M bet that cemented its place in Tech culture.

Fresh off a 17-year stint in New York as an advocate for generative AI, Duncan explores its power to reshape technology, culture, and music through his Substack: A Song Is Anything That Can Walk By Itself, where he asks: Are We Human? Or Are We Dancer?

Now as Innovation Director at ICKG, he continues to push the boundaries of Creativity and Innovation.

Deborah Fowler

Centre Support Manager

Deborah brings over 10 years of management experience in the arts and charity sectors. She is passionate about delivering exceptional customer service and creating inclusive, welcoming spaces. Her leadership is driven by a commitment to community, collaboration, and operational excellence.

Karly Jarvis

Assistant Centre Manager

I’ve spent the last 10 years working in facilities management, specifically for Mitie where I have dealt with several clients from public to private sector. I’m looking forward to learning and experiencing all the new aspects that come along with working for Oxford Innovation. In my downtime I enjoy spending time with my family, ‘trying’ to train my 5-month-old chocolate labrador puppy and going wild swimming.

Penny Horey

Customer Experience Assistant

I have 10 years of experience in the telecoms sector, including 2 years in administration and provisioning. Following my time in telecoms, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to start my own business in retail as an early adopter of a successful franchise. With the support of a fantastic team and my partners, I co-owned and operated the RocoMamas Gourmet Burger Franchise for 5 wonderful years before making the move to the United Kingdom. I chose to make Colchester my home and have been a CEA at ICKG for 2.5 years. I’m proud to be part of a vibrant and ever-growing community.

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Join an inspiring community of innovators and entrepreneurs at ICKG.

  • Book a tour of our innovation centre
  • Get more information on sizes, pricing & availability
  • Have your questions answered
  • Secure your choice of office, coworking space or meeting room
Innovation Centre Knowledge Gateway Boundary Road Colchester CO4 3ZQ
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