Northampton Innovation Centre is open for business

​​The £8.5m University of Northampton Innovation Centre has officially opened in the Northampton Waterside Enterprise Zone.

With a full range of integrated business support services provided by the Northamptonshire Growth Hub and the University, 42 flexible office units, a café and conference space, the centre offers the opportunity for enterprises to grow in a supportive environment alongside like-minded businesses.

The Innovation Centre is the natural home of businesses that benefit both people and the environment through being innovative and effective. Practising what it preaches, the centre itself is run to deliver social impact and social innovation, with measurable social value.

The University of Northampton has been internationally recognised for its commitment to social innovation and entrepreneurship by being designated a ‘Changemaker Campus’ by Ashoka U – the global association of the world’s leading universities supporting social entrepreneurs – and was the first in the UK to be awarded this honour.

Professor Nick Petford, Vice Chancellor at the University, said: “The Innovation Centre is a manifestation of the University’s support for the economic future of the town and county.

“We are at one end of the Enterprise Zone, and our new Waterside Campus is at the other end.

“The centre is a place for Northampton’s businesses, both existing and new, to thrive, businesses that deliver social impact – that is, doing ‘good stuff’ such as benefiting people and the environment.

“Some of the businesses in the centre may be social enterprises; others privately owned businesses or spin outs from the public sector. We welcome all business models, as long as they have a core aim of delivering social impact.

“Our vision is that in 2025 the space between the Innovation Centre and the Waterside Campus is full of new businesses that have grown out of the Innovation Centre and been attracted to the town by the excellence of the business environment and support the University and its partners offer.”

Businesses in the centre benefit from the expert support of the Northamptonshire Growth Hub, which was set up in 2013 by the University, the County Council, and NEP (Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership), and is acknowledged by Central Government as a beacon of excellence in business support.

For further information regarding the Innovation Centre, visit the website or call 01604 779011.