Gateway to growth

Driving economic growth needs the strongest links between business, innovation and talent.

We created the Knowledge Gateway research and technology park to do just that.

Ten years later, it has become a thriving innovation hub, home to more than 50 businesses and organisations.

“Arma Karma is incredibly fun, it has a real start-up vibe.” Connor Warne is one of the many success stories of the Knowledge Gateway research and technology park at our Colchester Campus.

The history graduate joined award-winning InsurTech specialist Arma Karma through a graduate internship and is still enjoying working as its Senior Product Manager five years later. He says: “The team is small, but growing quickly and we want to maintain that friendly, good-natured atmosphere.”

Arma Karma was actually established by Essex graduates Ben Smyth and Chris Frogner to rethink the insurance industry, with the company one of the first to move into the Innovation Centre - one of the landmark buildings on the Knowledge Gateway - back in 2019.

Connor Warne talks about his time at Arma Karma

Connor Warne talks about his time at Arma Karma

Now the Innovation Centre, operated by sector leader Oxford Innovation, is a thriving hub for around 50 businesses.

It's also a home to the University's own business engagement team which connects companies, charities and other organisations to researchers, plus the Essex Startups team which develops the business ideas and entrepreneurial skills of Essex students and graduates.

We leverage the University's resources, from cutting-edge research facilities to a talented pool of students and graduates.” 

Jamie Burns
Head of Operations, Knowledge Gateway 

Park life

Next door to the Innovation Centre is Essex Business School based in a landmark £21m sustainable building which celebrates the Business School's own commitment to sustainable education and research. This is part of the £70m+ invested in the infrastructure and buildings at the Knowledge Gateway.

Just a short walk the other way is Parkside, the first phase of the Knowledge Gateway project to bring businesses onto the Colchester Campus. Just celebrating its 10th anniversary, it is a base for several longstanding successful tenants, including patent and trademark attorneys Sandersons, multi-disciplinary service provider WillisPalmer and solar analytics and inspection experts Above Surveying.

Now four-storey £12m Clingoe House has joined the Knowledge Gateway offer and provides a striking entrance to the Park. Tech firm MSX International has taken up residence on the top floor with the University's own Health, Wellbeing and Care Hub, Institute of Public Health and Wellbeing and the Centre for Coastal Communities on the ground floor.

Jamie Burns

Jamie Burns, Head of Operations for the Knowledge Gateway, is proud of what has been achieved. He says: “We have been able to attract high-calibre businesses because we really do offer something special.

“In addition to the unrivalled opportunities for networking and collaboration, we have ample on-site parking, we’re close to major transport links, and have Wivenhoe House Hotel just across the campus, an ideal location for corporate entertainment."

Clingoe House

Clingoe House

You can feel the momentum here - and we’re proud to have created an environment that helps businesses thrive.”” 

Duncan Bird
Innovation Director, Innovation Centre 

Knowledge is power

Innovation Director at the Innovation Centre, Duncan Bird, also thinks something special has emerged at the Knowledge Gateway.

“It’s amazing how far we’ve come since opening nearly six years ago," he says. "We’re incredibly proud of the thriving community we’ve built at the Innovation Centre and of the role we play within the wider Knowledge Gateway and regional business ecosystem.

"The feedback we get from businesses who’ve made this their home is overwhelmingly positive - they value not just the space, but the support, connections, and energy that come with it.

“We’re home to everything from freshly founded startups to well-established firms, and what sets this place apart is how naturally collaboration happens.

"Whether it’s sharing advice over a coffee or making the most of our business support and networking opportunities.”

Constellation Marketing have been part of the Knowledge Gateway story from virtually the start.

Founder, Tom Broome, moved in when Parkside first opened and has been based at the Innovation Centre since 2023. A well-established marketing agency working across the East, Constellation works with B2Bs, public sector and higher education, and tech businesses.

Combining creativity and strategy, the team specialise in branding, content, web, and design services.

The company has benefited from links with the University, recruiting graduates and offering internships and work experience opportunities to students, while also valuing the networking opportunities provided by the innovation Centre.

Dr Jessica Houlihan

Dr Jessica Houlihan, Head of Content, completed her PhD in Literature at Essex. She said: “I’ve been part of the Constellation team for five years now. I’m very lucky to have found a job that combines my skills as a researcher and a writer and offers so much variety day-to-day.

"Being based at the Knowledge Gateway has helped me to build my professional network and skills. I also love that I’m still very connected to the University that shaped me into the person I am today.”

Innovation Centre

The Knowledge Gateway offer

Over the past 10 years, the University has invested in building the Knowledge Gateway's reputation for being more than just a business park.

Businesses benefit from flexible, modern workspaces at the Innovation Centre, Parkside and Clingoe House. They also have access to cutting-edge university research, graduate talent, and funding opportunities.

Staff can enjoy 200 acres of landscaped parkland on their doorstep, while the main campus offers cafés, restaurants, a gym, sports centre, conference spaces, art and theatre venues, and even on-site childcare.

There is also high-speed connectivity, 24/7 security, dedicated parking, and cycle storage. All making it easy for teams to thrive.

Being part of the Knowledge Gateway means you are part of a vibrant community of start-ups and established firms, with a packed programme of networking events within the Innovation Centre and the University. For tech-driven companies, it’s an ideal opportunity to scale up in one of the East of England’s fastest-growing innovation clusters.

Find out more

Clingoe House

Move to Knowledge Gateway

Clingoe House could be your new home. Discover the opportunities at the Knowledge Gateway - amazing location, research connections and graduate talent.

Innovation Centre

Heart of innovation

Join the Innovation Centre community and benefit from all the connections and support the team offers. Be part of the success story at our Colchester Campus.

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Sixty Stories

We’re celebrating 60 years of making change happen.  60 years of boldness and bravery from our students past and present. 60 years of creating change.