• 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.

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.

106

ORGANISATIONS AND COUNTING

1

MILE RADIUS

70 000 +

PEOPLE

COLLABORATIONS

Map of the Knowledge Quarter

Upcoming events

KQ CONNECT: Private View of Milk at the Wellcome Collection

Join the KQ for a private view and tours of 'Milk', exploring our relationship with milk and its place in politics, society and culture.

KQ CONNECT: Summer Walking Tour of Islington's Cinemas

Join the KQ and Islington Guided Walks for a walk through more than 100 years of cinema-going in Islington, taking in cinemas past and present.

KQ Private View: CUT + PASTE, Explore the Building Blocks of Life

If you could, would you edit your DNA? To treat disease, or to enhance your body? Which diseases should we try to cure, and who decides? Where would you draw the line? We want to know.

Performing Planet Activism series

This strand of intimate UCL performances, workshops and interactions explores some of the pressing environmental issues of the climate crisis.

Latest news

Knowledge Quarter Technology Outage

The British Library, where the Knowledge Quarter team is based, is experiencing a major technology outage as a result of a cyber incident. The KQ’s systems are operated and maintained by the British Library, and as a result, emails will receive delayed replies. Your patience is appreciated.

Call for content for our new events programme 2023-24

The Knowledge Quarter is launching a new events programme, with our members and local stakeholders at its heart. This is an exciting opportunity to propose talks and workshops for the benefit of our members and the public, and problem and subject areas that require fresh and collective thinking.

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.

Knowledge Quarter COVID-19 resources

A selection of the latest developments and resources relating to COVID-19 from Knowledge Quarter partners, including information on business support and the latest scientific and humanities research in the area. Updated monthly. Last updated 20 December 2021.

Publications

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.

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.

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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