• Where thinking joins up

    KQ is the 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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KNOWLEDGE QUARTER (KQ) IS THE INNOVATION DISTRICT AT THE HEART OF CENTRAL 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. In 2014, our partnership brought 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 five-year strategy KQ2025 here. We’ll be releasing our new KQ2030 strategy in 2025.

 

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 academic, cultural, research, scientific and technology organisations, large and small: from the British Library, Google and Wellcome to Conway Hall and the London Canal Museum.

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 the Charles Dickens Museum, set in the author’s former home in Bloomsbury.

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 with representatives from each of our membership organisations.

As of March 2025, our board members include Camden and Islington Council, AutogenAI, Camden Spark, Francis Crick Institute, King’s Place, London Bioscience Innovation Centre (LBIC), and UCL.

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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MILE RADIUS

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HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

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PEOPLE

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COLLABORATIONS

Map of the Knowledge Quarter

Upcoming events

KQ Private View | '(Un)Layering the future past of South Asia: Young artists’ voices' at SOAS Gallery

​Join our private curator talk of SOAS' latest exhibition about young South Asian artists and their responses to unraveling social issues.

KQ Private View | 'Seeds of Trees, Sounds of Mountains’ at the Aga Khan Centre Gallery

Join us at the Aga Khan Centre Gallery for a private guided curator tour by Esen Kaya to experience a thought-provoking dialogue between art and environmental science.

KQ Private View | 'Medieval Women' at the British Library

Discover the remarkable stories of women from across medieval Europe at our exclusive private view, hosted in partnership with the British Library.

KQ Private View | In the Grip of Change at Senate House, University of London

Examine the Caribbean's transition from colonial exploitation to independence, highlighting activism, self-determination, and the ongoing process of decolonisation in this private view at the Senate House.
View all events

Latest news

March 2025 Newsletter

Could we be London's "new superpower"? According to the 2025 London Growth Plan, the answer is yes.

February 2025 Newsletter

Interested in coworking with at our offices for free? If you're a Camden-based entrepreneur, you're in luck.

January 2025 Newsletter

A warm welcome back to the KQ!

A Personal Reflection from the CEO: The Bold Future Ahead in 2025

Sometimes I think I have one of the best jobs in the world.
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

Join Our Membership

Join us
What are the membership benefits?

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. Learn more about the membership benefits here.

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.

Within ten minutes of our Bloomsbury campus, one of the world’s largest and most collaborative innovation districts is taking shape in the Knowledge Quarter, with huge potential to bring together life sciences, technology, healthcare, and academia in one place.

MICHAEL SPENCEPresident & Provost, University College London

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.

SIR ROLY KEATINGFormer Chief 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 CARRINGTONFormer Vice-Chancellor, University of the Arts London

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