KQ Liverpool celebrates ten years with city-wide programme of events and initiatives

Knowledge Quarter Liverpool is marking its tenth anniversary with a year-long programme of ten major events and initiatives designed to celebrate a decade of innovation, collaboration and impact across the city.

Founded in October 2016, KQ Liverpool was created to harness the strength of Liverpool’s knowledge economy and innovation assets, helping to position the city as a world-class destination for science, education, technology and culture.

Its founding partners – the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Liverpool City Council – set out a shared vision for inclusive growth, investment and collaboration at the heart of the city.

In 2020, Bruntwood SciTech joined the partnership, leading to the creation of development company Sciontec, which now owns and operates Liverpool Science Park, CENTRAL TECH, space at The Spine, and is developing the £67m HEMISPHERE labs building at Paddington Village.

Over the past decade, KQ Liverpool has grown into one of the UK’s most successful innovation districts. It is now home to more than 400 businesses, supports over 15,000 jobs and welcomes more than 60,000 students each year.

The organisation also delivers business support and skills programmes for young people across the Liverpool City Region and has built a strong national and international reputation.

Key milestones include becoming a founding member of the UK Innovation Districts Group, joining the Global Institute of Innovation Districts, attracting the Royal College of Physicians’ Northern headquarters to Paddington Village, and helping Liverpool rank third in Europe in the 2026 European Capital of Innovation Awards.

KQ Liverpool’s inclusive innovation work continues to be a central focus. Its KQ Futures programme reaches hundreds of young people each year, from primary schools to sixth forms, and recently saw the creation of The Animates: Learning in Liverpool, a children’s book introducing innovation concepts, distributed to 433 primary schools across the city region.

To date, the organisation has received 15 industry awards recognising its placemaking and social value achievements.

To mark the tenth anniversary, KQ Liverpool will deliver a ‘ten for ten’ programme of activity. This includes a long-distance endurance fundraising challenge led by chief executive Colin Sinclair, raising money for local charities Clatterbridge Cancer Charity, The Brain Charity and Alfie’s Squad.

The challenge follows his 2025 double-marathon across the Liverpool City Region, which raised almost £17,000 for children and youth-focused charities.

Other anniversary plans include the burial of a time capsule capturing current technology and future ambitions, to be opened in 2040, and an art competition with dot-art Schools, inviting secondary school pupils to respond creatively to the theme Life Under the Microscope.

A community festival is also being planned, celebrating the innovation district’s close connection to neighbouring communities and recognising the role local residents play in its success.

Building on Liverpool’s success in the European Capital of Innovation Awards, KQ Liverpool will strengthen international partnerships through the iCapital alumni network, while sharing best practice with innovation districts across the world. The anniversary year will also see the launch of a refreshed brand identity and special edition logo.

Councillor Liam Robinson, Leader of Liverpool City Council and Cabinet Member for Innovation at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, said KQ Liverpool has played a key role in the city region’s progress over the last decade and will continue to be central to future growth.

Chief executive Colin Sinclair added that while the milestone is a proud moment, there is more to do to ensure young people across the city region have the best opportunities possible.

He said the foundations are now in place for long-term growth built on fairness, inclusion and creativity, aligning with KQ Liverpool’s 2040 Vision for the city and its innovation ecosystem.