Innovation Centre, Knowledge Gateway (ICKG)

The Innovation Centre, Knowledge Gateway is a creative hub for technology innovation. Operated by start-up experts Oxford Innovation start-up and early stage technology businesses can rent flexible office space, book impressive meeting and conference facilities and benefit from business support, and have access to research expertise. The Innovation Centre is home to 40+ businesses and also hosts networking events which are open to the whole Knowledge Gateway community. 

Business Engagement Team

The University of Essex’s Business Engagement team is based in Studio X at the Innovation Centre. Are you ready to see what is possible through innovation? A business is never really finished. It can always be better. Smarter. Faster.

At the University of Essex, our team of researchers are ready to partner with you. Show you the way. And bring innovation into the light. From award-winning Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and Smart Grants to Innovation Vouchers, consultancy and collaborative research, we’re committed to helping your business grow.

You don’t need a detailed brief to talk to us – simply tell us the biggest challenge your business is facing and we’ll pinpoint the expertise and support you need. We’ll help you find the right solution, cost the project and apply for funding.

And right now, we’re the number one university in the UK for Knowledge Transfer Partnerships! What are you waiting for? Get in touch today: Innovation@essex.ac.uk

Angels@Essex

Angels@Essex is a free, invitation-only investment platform that links Angel Investors to entrepreneurs with innovative ideas, allowing new disruptive technologies to flourish. Led by the University of Essex, Angels@Essex is based in Studio X at the Innovation Centre.

Essex Startups

The University of Essex’s Essex Startups team supports students and graduates who are interested in starting their own business and want to discuss, develop, test and launch their ideas. No matter where they are in their start-up journey, the team offers a wide of events, funding opportunities and 1:1 mentoring.

Essex Startups is based in Studio X at the Innovation Centre. Students and graduates are invited to learn the skills needed to be successful in business and use Studio X as a base to support their personal and professional growth as an entrepreneur.

MSX International

MSX works with automotive manufacturers on an international scale, both well-established brands such as Ford, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, and Hyundai, as well as new market entrants. Using advanced data analytics and custom software, the company improves business processes like warranty services, parts management and customer engagement to enhance performance, increase profitability, and improve customer satisfaction across automotive dealership networks. MSX employs over 5,000 staff across 30 offices in 60 countries. Clingoe House on the Knowledge Gateway is MSX’s UKheadquarters.

Health, Wellbeing and Care Hub

The state-of-the-art Health, Wellbeing and Care Hub is being established with the support of NHS England and in collaboration with our regional NHS Integrated Care Boards as a centre of excellence in health and care-related research and workforce development.

A range of community-facing services, student placement opportunities, workforce development, training and research will be offered in a range of settings through the Hub, both on the Campus and in the community. The Hub will offer face-to-face and online services to maximise accessibility and impact.

The Hub supports the University’s vision to be recognised as a centre of excellence in health-related research and workforce development through the creation of community-orientated services delivering material improvements to public health and wellbeing. It will support the development of a resilient health and wellbeing workforce, trained and equipped to address future health threats and provide easy access for partners to benefit from the University’s knowledge and expertise, skills and talent-base, enabling partnerships within health and care-related sectors.

Aesthetics Solutions

At the age of 21, I opened my first of many salons in London winning accolades and a few brickbats along the way. And like most people who start a new venture, I learnt through my mistakes. I made some good choices and a few bad decisions!

I gradually learnt one fundamental lesson in creating a good profitable business in the field of aesthetics and that was that hard work does not always pay! Best informed and timely decisions do.

One enduring concern of mine was after buying aesthetic equipment and devices, there was no full after sales support with many suppliers apart from provision of technical breakdown service.

Benefitting from that experience the idea of providing the best bespoke services was actualized.

Adauxi

Adauxi are a specialist practice working primarily with clients who are looking to grow/improve their businesses. 

They are focussed on working with clients to make their businesses better; to achieve your aims and minimise risks.  For most people, that means making more money faster or with less personal effort, and retaining as much as possible after tax.

They have a very strong combination of the elements of their experience:

• Trained and worked in one of the world's foremost professional practices for many years. 
• Directors have run their own businesses (meaning they can relate to your issues as they have been there ourselves).
• Their experience is multinational, bringing invaluable perspectives to issues.
• And they have also held very senior finance roles in public and private companies.

WillsPalmer

WillisPalmer has a long-standing reputation for providing high-quality multi-disciplinary services to children and their families. Their reputation is built on the quality of the experts who register with them.

As a social work owned and operated company, they place the needs of children and their families at the centre of everything they do.

Established for more than 18 years, WillisPalmer has established an unrivalled reputation as the leading provider of multi-disciplinary services to children and their families. Their multi-disciplinary, national network is made up of social workers, psychologists, qualified therapists, psychiatrists, family support workers and forensic risk assessment experts – who are available to undertake assignments throughout the UK and overseas. They can provide a range of solutions bespoke to your needs, including training and mentoring services.

All expert reports are rigorously checked by a consultant social worker and then passed through their comprehensive quality assurance process, guaranteeing the high-quality service expected from WillisPalmer.

PCB Design School

The PCB Design School has been set up to provide training courses to fill a skills gap in PCB design.

The Foundation Course is a must for anyone now expected to provide PCB Designs. Even experienced Engineers will benefit from attending our 4-day course. The School also provides Courses such as Power Design and Advanced Routing that follow on from the School’s bedrock Foundation Course.

Their mission is to attract students of any age to learn, enjoy and benefit from our PCB Design courses, and to aid the Electronics industry, by maintaining and improving the quality and quantity of Printed Circuit Board Designers in the UK, and afar.

They believe passionately that courses delivered personally in an intimate training environment, with real HANDS ON practical experience, exceeds results when compared with tutorial courses.

Their students leave confident and better skilled Designers – better grounded, ready, willing and now able to tackle their PCB Designing futures.

GP Primary Choice

GP Primary Choice Ltd is a primary care provider company based in North East Essex owned by 32 GP Practices in the locality, covering over 360,000 patients.

Their purpose is to provide a vehicle and skillset to successfully bid for local services. By combining resources and expertise the company will help to ensure that work appropriate for General Practice is maintained and developed in local practices to the benefit of patients, practices and the local health economy.

GP Primary Choice hold several contracts on behalf of primary care, and most recently have been awarded the position of delivery partner alongside East Suffolk North Essex Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), Essex Partnership University Trust (EPUT) and HCRG Care Group as part of a 10 year community contract.

Founded in 2014, GP Primary Choice was formed as a limited company with all 32 GP surgeries as shareholders, allowing the directive of the company to be wholly down to those who it affects.

Industrial Robotic Solutions

Creators of the Universal food gripper. A transformative robotic gripper and vision system that enables the robotic assembly of food ingredients, fully autonomously, hygienically and cost effectively.

Designed for use in ready meal factories and retail food outlets alike, the Industrial Robotic Solutions system can continuously assemble sandwiches, burgers, salads and hundreds of other ready meals.

Knowledge Pathways International

At Knowledge Pathways International, they are dedicated to providing academic and corporate services for individuals and businesses across UK and the world

Their experienced team offer everything from training workshops, application guidance and educational trips to cost-effective business services, such as document and website translation services. They can work with you to grow knowledge that enables you to fulfil your personal and business goals both in the UK and abroad.

Knowledge Pathways International is an aspiring company dedicated to providing academic and corporate services for individuals and businesses across the globe. Whether clients require training workshops, translation services or even educational trips then their professional team can help. Established in 2014, they are located on the University of Essex’s Knowledge Gateway, which offers the perfect academic and business environment to allow them to thrive.

They aim to inspire our partners to progress and evolve, pushing their boundaries and striving to help them achieve their personal and business goals locally and globally.

Multiple Sclerosis UK

MS-UK is here to support anyone affected by MS on every step of their MS journey with the services they provide. This small charity does not receive any Government or pharmaceutical funding to ensure that they remain independent and unbiased when serving the MS community. They rely completely on the generosity of our supporters to ensure we can deliver the services people need and ask for.

MS-UK is a national charity formed in 1993. They are here for people affected by multiple sclerosis – that’s around 130,000 people in the UK or one in every 500, with about 130 people diagnosed every week on average. The overall number of people living with multiple sclerosis worldwide is estimated to be 2.3 million. MS-UK is here for anyone affected by multiple sclerosis, to empower them to live healthier and happier lives by improving the understanding of MS and providing support where it is needed most.

All of the staff at MS-UK sign up to their values and actively use them in their day-to-day roles.

Quoox

Quoox was born from a unique fusion of expertise in both fitness and technology from its founders, Ben Brand and Chris Windram.

Designed from the ground-up to meet the specific needs of high-value membership, small group and personal training gyms, Quoox has enabled its customers in the UK, US, and Ireland to grow their businesses and increase their profitability - without blowing-up their costs.

With many products & services being solely led either by fitness or technology, the balance that Quoox is able to deliver, through Alchemy, from a core foundation of expertise in both disciplines leaves it unrivalled.

Rife with expensive legacy systems alongside “guru’s with cobbled-together” apps, the catalyst for Alchemy was the unmissable need for a simple, effective, affordable, turn-key solution.

Architected on the world renowned, high-reliability Microsoft Azure platform, Quoox GMS has quickly proven itself as a solid, trustworthy platform through which millions of member’s access their wellness products and book their sessions.

Sandersons

The team of specialist patent and trade mark attorneys are able to provide practical, commercially-viable advice to individuals and businesses across the UK, Europe and worldwide.

Although they are based in Colchester, and are proud to be a ‘local’ firm, they operate globally and communicate effectively with their clients and agents in all countries of the world. Offices in London offer a convenient meeting location for clients if required.

Client cases are assigned to a team of professional staff under the overall supervision of one of their highly qualified and experienced Partners, supported by Associates, Technical Assistants and administrative staff as required; clients benefit from effectively having them as part of their team.

Sandersons pride themselves in developing strong partnerships with clients, and in being knowledgeable and passionate about all aspects of intellectual property. Highly pro-active service gives the flexibility to tailor the way they work to meet each client’s individual needs.

TT Education

TT Education are the UK’s leading school improvement company, working with schools, academies and trusts in the United Kingdom and beyond to improve the quality of children’s education. As multi-award-winning School Improvement Provider of the Year, they pride themselves on being recognised for the outstanding quality of their support for schools.

The company was founded in January 2013 by David Maytham. Ever since, everything we do is underpinned by the belief that every child has the right to a good education. They’re dedicated to improving life chances for all pupils by empowering teachers and leaders to create sustainable improvement in their schools through engaged learning and inspirational leadership.

They help schools, teachers and leaders to make progress through their outstanding CPD courses, INSET days, consultancy, digital solutions and longer-term packages of school improvement support.

Oak Park Security

Operating a network of Regional Offices across East Anglia and the South Coast of England, this gives us an established infrastructure from which to deliver our services.

Oakpark Security have a workforce in excess of 160 SIA Licensed Security Officers throughout their operating areas. Their team are currently responsible for protecting over 1200 locations with various types of security solution.

Their approach is to partner with organisations to help develop and coordinate their resilience and security strategy using an integrated solution of manpower, technology and consultancy services as required.

As commercial security specialists, they work with their customers to comprehensively protect their people, property, data and brand identity. At Oakpark Security, they support their clients in making their organisation more resilient and offer a number of different service lines that can either operate independently or be brought together as part of a total risk management solution. These include Security Personnel, Front of House services, Keyholding & Alarm Response, and Remote CCTV Monitoring.

ESRC Business and Local Government Data Research Centre

Bringing data to life and forging links between stakeholders at all levels, they help them use data to find better solutions and support innovation.

They enable renowned researchers to work with organisations effecting real change. Together with their partners, they help resolve the biggest challenges of our time.

They collaborate with private sector, public sector and not-for-profit organisations who can wield the transformative power of data to benefit their communities. By supporting them in implementing best practice, we create real-world impact, influencing policy and informing practice.

Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), they aim to be the UK’s centre of choice for data research. They act as a hub of knowledge that reaches beyond Essex into a global network of experts, organisations and innovators. This ensures the far-reaching impact of their best practice models and concepts.

Above Surveying

Their suite of intelligent software and inspection solutions span the entire solar plant lifecycle enabling precision design, forensic construction oversight, rigorous commissioning and efficient high-quality solar plant management.

Founded in 2016 by Will Hitchcock, they have worked on over 2500 solar assets and are now supporting customers across six continents. They work with many of the world’s leading solar energy companies to deliver solar plant data and analytics through their interactive platform, SolarGain.

What they do makes a difference. They are at the forefront of the digital transformation of the solar industry, enabling solar companies to expand solar PVs potential with data analytics, mobile apps, drones and AI.

Cargo Move Ltd

Cargo Move LTD was established in 2019, based in the oldest town of England, Colchester. Their mission is to help you to move your cargo fast and safely to destination. They treat your cargo as theirss. Nothing can be done better even you do it yourself. As a professional shipping forwarder, they always stick to high level of service quality.

Their team are well trained. They fully understand the work and work hard with accountability. They are proud to be a trustworthy business partner.

They also provide a wide range of warehousing services for various industry sectors. Using either their shared user facilities or designing a dedicated operating solution they will ensure your supply chain is optimized.

Driving Vehicle Standards Agency

DVSA carry out driving tests, approve people to be driving instructors and MOT testers, carry out tests to make sure lorries and buses are safe to drive, carry out roadside checks on drivers and vehicles, and monitor vehicle recalls.

DVSA is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department for Transport.

They’re responsible for carrying out theory tests and driving tests for people who want to drive cars, motorcycles, lorries, buses and coaches, and specialist vehicles, approving people to be driving instructors and motorcycle trainers, and making sure they provide good-quality training, approving people to be MOT testers, approving the centres they work in, and testing lorries, buses and coaches ourselves.

Carrying out roadside checks on commercial drivers and vehicles to make sure they follow safety rules and keep their vehicles safe to drive among many other services.

Royal Association of Deaf People

They provide services to deaf people in their first or preferred language, usually British Sign Language (BSL).

From supporting children, young people and their families; to helping deaf people find work; to befriending older people; they are here to make sure the people who use our services get the support they want, when they need it and that it is accessible to them.

Their #TeamRAD colleagues come from a wide variety of backgrounds bringing with them a wealth of experience, skills and knowledge to help them achieve their vision:

Their mission is ‘A future of opportunity, achievement and equality for deaf people.’