• Where thinking joins up

    KQ is the new Knowledge Quarter at the heart of London.

  • A world-class knowledge cluster

    From the world’s earliest books and manuscripts to the latest fashion and creative designs and cutting-edge medical research.

  • A gateway to knowledge

    A space to interact and share ideas in close proximity. There is nowhere else like it.

  • Knowledge is fuel for the brain

    Get everyone connected and the possibilities are endless.

  • Collaboration and knowledge exchange

    A place to establish crucial connections to achieve productive partnerships,
    fruitful networks and creative interaction.

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KQ IS THE NEW KNOWLEDGE QUARTER AT THE HEART OF LONDON.

We are the focal point for one of the greatest knowledge clusters anywhere in the world, located in a small area around King’s Cross, the Euston Road and Bloomsbury.

Within a few hundred metres you can find knowledge resources ranging from the world’s earliest books and manuscripts to the latest fashion and creative designs and cutting-edge medical research.

As a gateway to knowledge of every kind, we open doors for visitors, students, researchers and people who live and work in this dynamic part of London.

As a space to interact and share ideas in close proximity there is nowhere else like it.

Individually, our members offer a dazzling array of knowledge resources. Our new partnership brings them all together for the first time.

Knowledge is fuel for the brain. Get everyone connected and the possibilities are endless. KQ is where thinking joins up.

Read our new five-year strategy ‘KQ2025’ here.

 

KQ IS A CONSORTIUM OF PARTNER ORGANISATIONS OF MANY DIFFERENT KINDS BUT WITH ONE THING IN COMMON

WE ARE ALL ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN ADVANCING AND DISSEMINATING KNOWLEDGE

KQ is a consortium of partner organisations of many different kinds but with one thing in common – we are all actively engaged in advancing and disseminating knowledge.

Our partners are made up of over 100 academic, cultural, research, scientific and media organisations, large and small: from the British Library, Google and the Wellcome Trust to Arts Catalyst, Scriberia and the Wiener Library.

Global brands and small businesses alike are being drawn to an area that is exceptionally rich in knowledge resources.

Among our members are the Francis Crick Institute, the leading global centre for medical research, and Universal Music, whose UK headquarters are found in King’s Cross.

KQ focuses support for innovation, collaboration and knowledge exchange. We have fostered connections to achieve productive partnerships, fruitful networks and creative collaborations. Knowledge Quarter has developed a recognisable brand, signposting to our resources and enabling us to speak with a single voice on issues that are relevant to us.

We want to encourage all kinds of knowledge seekers to make the most of our combined resources. To break down barriers and stimulate dialogue, getting the whole of this unique area buzzing with ideas. To stimulate productive dialogue everywhere – from conference rooms and corridors to coffee shops.

KQ is establishing new connections with local people too. We are channeling opportunities for networking and collaboration with the knowledge community.

Together we are putting the area on the map as a world-class centre for the creation of knowledge.

OUR BOARD AND STEERING GROUP

KQ’s founding members are the British Library and University of the Arts London. Our consortium is governed by a board of ten organisations supported by a steering group representing the whole membership. The other board members are the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE), Camden Council, Islington Council,  UCL, National Centre of Universities and Business (NCUB), Regents High School and Google.

OUR VISION

Transforming lives through knowledge and innovation.

OUR MISSION

We work together to unlock our diverse neighbourhoods’ unique resources of knowledge and innovation, for the benefit of all.

OUR VALUES

  • Collaborative – We work together to leverage the collective genius of our members.
  • Ambitious – We are naturally dynamic and experimental.
  • Innovative – We cultivate ideas that explore new ways to create new opportunities.
  • Trust – We nurture trust and friendship at the heart of all our relationships.

OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

  • Advocacy – The Knowledge Quarter will increase the area’s profile through advocacy and stakeholder engagement, both nationally and internationally.
  • Knowledge exchange – The Knowledge Quarter will facilitate knowledge exchange and identify opportunities for openness, collaboration and networking between its members.
  • People – The Knowledge Quarter will work with its members to increase public access to their knowledge, resources and collections, creating opportunities for exchange with local citizens.
  • Place – The Knowledge Quarter will work with its members to identify and support work that improves our local environment, creating a great place for people to live, work and visit.

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ORGANISATIONS AND COUNTING

1

MILE RADIUS

70 000 +

PEOPLE

∞

COLLABORATIONS

Map of the Knowledge Quarter

Upcoming events

Nature’s Inspiring Women in Science 2024 Awards

Join in on a packed networking event spotlighting alternative paths in STEM beyond the traditional lab roles, in celebration of Nature’s Inspiring Women in Science 2024 awards.
Looking inside one of the recipe books in Healing words_(c) Royal College of Physicians.jpeg

KQ CONNECT: Private View of 'Healing Words' at Royal College of Physicians

Join the KQ to view RCP's newest exhibition about how ordinary households used recipe books to document and share knowledge about treatments and cures.

The 2024 Turing Lectures: "In AI We Trust...?"

Continuing our AI initiatives this year, we are thrilled to announce our partnership with the Alan Turing Institute for the 2024 Turing Lectures this autumn.

KQ CONNECT: Private View of Observatory at Central Saint Martins for London Design Festival 2024

Join the KQ to view CSM's 2024 London Design Festival exhibition, celebrating interdependence in creative practice — much like the KQ, where cross-disciplinary thinking joins up.
View all events

Latest news

October 2024 Newsletter

Autumn’s in full swing, and our October 2024 newsletter boasts a a bountiful season with a rich lineup of events with partners including Springer Nature, Alan Turing Institute, Royal College of Physicians, and more.

Stay in the know: our monthly newsletter

Are you a staff member from a Knowledge Quarter partner organisation? You can get access to exclusive mailing lists and networks. Sign up here.

September 2024 Newsletter

Our September 2024 newsletter is out and packed with upcoming events, news and leadership opportunities with our partners Impact Hub London, London Canal Museum, and The Charles Dickens Museum.

Job opportunity: Events Manager at The Knowledge Quarter

We are hiring! The Knowledge Quarter is looking for an Events Manager to develop and deliver the year-long portfolio of physical, virtual and hybrid events that are central to the advancement and reputation of the KQ.
View all news

Publications

Link to: Science and Innovation Audit
FEATURED
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Knowledge Quarter Science and Innovation Audit

MARCH 8, 2019

A Science and Innovation Audit Report sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Knowledge Quarter What's On: Reopening 2021 Edition

Explore exhibitions and events happening around the Knowledge Quarter in our special reopening edition of our Spring/Summer What's On Guide. From poetry at a vaccination centre to artifacts from the imperial palace in Rome at the British Museum.

Knowledge Quarter Return to Work Survey

The Knowledge Quarter has published its findings from its Return to Work Survey of over 500 people who work in and commute to the KQ area. The survey covers whether people have moved due to the pandemic, what their remote working patterns will be in the future and how remote working will impact their attendance of local events.

The Knowledge Quarter’s Start-up Ecosystem

In 2019, with support from UCL, the Knowledge Quarter undertook a survey of the start-up ecosystem around King’s Cross.
View all publications

KQ membership is open to organisations within a one-mile radius of King’s Cross that are actively engaged in the advancement and dissemination of knowledge.

If your organisation is interested in joining the Knowledge Quarter, please email us for more information and the relevant documentation. Each organisation is asked to sign a Partnership Agreement which forms the basis of a statement of intent and establishes a firm foundation for the project to succeed.

Partners pay an annual membership fee based on the size of their organisation or business: under 10 employees £500; 11‑100 employees £1,000; 101‑500 employees £2,000; 501‑1000 employees £8,000; 1,001‑3,000 employees £10,000; 3,001‑5,000 employees £15,000; 5,001‑10,000 employees £20,000. We also offer special discounts for charities and community associations.

Join us

It is all about creative interactions between science and business. You get innovation when great universities, leading-edge science, world-class companies and entrepreneurial start-ups come together. Where they cluster together you get some of the most exciting places on the planet. That is where you find creative ferment which drives a modern dynamic economy.

Royal Society Speech – Nov 2012
GEORGE OSBORNEFormer Chancellor of the Exchequer

This small area is home to one of the biggest concentrations of knowledge organisations in the world. Let’s shout about it. The Knowledge Quarter will put our combined resources on the map.

ROLY KEATINGChief Executive Office, British Library

When the University of the Arts London moved Central Saint Martins to Kings Cross in 2011 we expected that the combination of over 4,500 creative academics and students with friends at our neighbouring scientific, cultural and academic institutions would deliver new collaborations. That is indeed already happening and the launch of the Knowledge Quarter will give real impetus to these initiatives.

NIGEL CARRINGTONVice-Chancellor, University of the Arts London

London leads the way in supporting the UK’s knowledge economy. I am proud that within our great capital city we have leading international organisations that are coming together to find ways that they can support growth and innovation through research. I am delighted to endorse the Knowledge Quarter and will watch with interest how it progresses.

BORIS JOHNSONFormer Mayor of London

People and ideas are the beating heart of this dynamic part of London. The Knowledge Quarter will enable us to build on thriving connections between our world-class institutions, local businesses and communities.

MIKE COOKEChief Executive, Camden Council

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