Everything you need to know about the Knowledge Quarter, Liverpool

We keep hearing city council and business leaders talking about the Knowledge Quarter Liverpool.

But what exactly is the Knowledge Quarter Liverpool – or KQ – and what will it mean for the city?

What – and who – is Knowledge Quarter (KQ) Liverpool?

KQ Liverpool is a 450-acre innovation district at the heart of Liverpool City Centre which is home to some of the world’s most influential names in science, health, technology, education, music and the creative and performing arts.

Knowledge Quarter Liverpool is home to a large number of world leading organisations including:

 The University of Liverpool (including the Materials Innovation Factory one of two of the University’s most successful hubs of industry-academic collaboration)

Materials Innovation Factory

Liverpool John Moores University (including the new student life building that is currently being constructed on Copperas Hill and will house a range of student-facing services, including advice and wellbeing services, careers advice, international exchanges, an area for individual and group study, the Students’ Union (JMSU) and general teaching spaces)

The new Clatterbridge Cancer Centre which opened its doors during the pandemic

Pic credit Paul Karalius

The Liverpool School of Tropical medicine

The now fully occupied Liverpool Science Park

The Rutherford Cancer Centre

Rutherford Cancer Centre is now open

Sensor City

The Accelerator – A home for life science companies on the Liverpool Health Campus

And it’s not all about science and learning institutions, it also includes cultural institutions like the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic on Hope Street.

When was it launched?

It was launched four years ago, in October 2016, as part of a massive redevelopment programme.

Who is involved?

The KQ Liverpool board consists of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, The Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Trust, Liverpool City Council and Bruntwood Sci-Tech (a joint venture between Bruntwood and Legal & General).

What are its aims?

Knowledge Quarter Liverpool aims to be in a strong position within the UK, as a brand and as a force for good.

With over £1bn of new developments currently underway – and a further £1bn in the pipeline – KQ Liverpool plans to increase the city’s employment figures, attract the best talent from around the world and keep students in the city after they graduate.

Among the highlights of the £2bn, five-year plan is Paddington Village, a 1.8m sq ft health, education, science and tech development space on the site of the former Archbishop Blanch school. Paddington Village will be home of The Spine – a 160,000 sq ft Grade A office building that will house the Royal College of Physicians as they open up their first base outside London.

The building will be one of the world’s healthiest buildings and has been designed with health and well-being at its core.

Already open on the site is both the University of Liverpool International College and Rutherford Cancer Centre with the Spine due to open in 2021.

Has the pandemic affected KQ and its aims?

During the initial lockdown, the KQ Liverpool team launched its new vision for 2025. The vision sets out the aims for the Knowledge Quarter for the next five years and highlights how the pandemic will change the way we work for the future.

In terms of planning the city region’s economic recovery from coronavirus the need to focus on joined up health, life sciences and tech innovation will take centre stage.

Liverpool’s response to the pandemic will need to demonstrate to government and commerce that it has the research capability, the talent and the ambition to recover faster and in a more sustainable way than its competitors.

What are its main objectives in the next five years?

The new KQ Liverpool 2025 Vision encompasses five main areas of focus: attracting and retaining talent, growing business and attracting inward investment, collaborating with purpose, being a better neighbour and creating a smarter, greener city.

The vision sets out clear objectives and targets for the next five years that will be carried out through collaboration with stakeholders and through the KQ Liverpool team.