2024 – A Year In Review

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As 2024 draws to a close (and the last of the Christmas crackers are being pulled), we’ve taken a moment to sit back and reflect on the scale and impact of our activities this year.

It’s been rewarding to have welcomed a record number of school and college students into our Innovation District during 2024, through KQ Futures, as well as ensuring we inspire and raise career aspirations in young children right across the city region thanks to The Animates project.

Expanding our reach hasn’t ended there, having hosted several international business and public sector delegations, speaking at a number of high profile conferences and relaunching our own thought leadership event series.

All of this wouldn’t be possible without the ongoing support and collaboration from our fantastic Partners, Stakeholders and the wider community. Our unique mix of like-minded cultural and commercial organisations, academics, clinicians and scientists, has created a world-leading innovation district greater than the sum of its parts, and has resulted in a place in which the next generation of innovators know they can thrive. 

Here’s to a 2025 full of new knowledge, creative culture and world leading innovation!

Investment, inspiration and insight : KQ Liverpool in 2024

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Our chief executive, Colin Sinclair, reflects on a seminal year for KQ Liverpool.

 

What an incredible year it has been for Knowledge Quarter Liverpool, both for ourselves as an organisation and for our partners across the innovation district. Indeed, the past 12 months may come to be regarded as the most pivotal in our history.

Our innovation district was founded eight years ago – one of the first in the UK – to build on Liverpool’s strong foundations in areas such as health and life sciences, materials chemistry, artificial intelligence, robotics and advanced manufacturing technologies. 

A place where great inventions are made and where culture is the beating heart of the community. With Hope Street and the Fabric District, the Universities, Cathedrals, Colleges and the Health Campus working as one. Creating something greater than the sum of its parts. 

Fast forward to 2024 and we can be immensely proud that KQ Liverpool has not only helped to reinforce the City Region’s global reputation by convening some of the greatest minds, supporting numerous successful research projects and providing a platform for collaboration, but also demonstrated its limitless potential to cultivate a new pipeline of talent and underpin our skills base for generations to come.

Engine room of the LCR Investment Zone 

In 2024, we were thrilled to be awarded Investment Zone funding by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to significantly expand our skills and outreach programmes, including the Future Innovators Programme, which welcomes Sixth Form and college students from across the city region to visit innovation sites in KQ Liverpool and understand the various career paths that exist here, giving insights into the jobs of the future and offering innovative internships too. 

A number of other projects were awarded funding across the LCR, including a large proportion within KQ Liverpool itself, to help supercharge health and life sciences in the city region. Among those were HEMISPHERE One and Two, a planned pair of laboratory and workspace developments in Paddington Village, Liverpool City Council’s flagship development site. The construction of HEMISPHERE One is due to start in the Spring of 2025 and will be a huge step forward in the provision of bio and chemistry lab space in the City Region. 

These groundbreaking new labs are being brought forward by KQ Liverpool’s spin-out development company Sciontec, the owners of Liverpool Science Park, which hit its own milestone in 2024, operating at full capacity and generating record profits, all of which are being recycled into future innovations. 

It is inspiring that our innovation district is providing the central fabric in this wider tapestry of inclusive innovation, delivered by our pioneering friends and partners including the Infection Innovation Consortium (iiCON), the Centre for Long-Acting Therapeutics (CELT) and Civic HealthTech Innovation Zone (CHI-Zone). All of whom were allocated vital new pioneering research funding in 2024. 

Creating a pipeline of future talent

Our commitment to education and skills continued with the launch this year of our new children’s book, The Animates : Learning in Liverpool, in conjunction with Connected Places Catapult. The story aims to inspire the next generation of local innovators and tells the story of six animal friends who crash land from space in KQ Liverpool and must use science and technology to help them repair their ship and return home. 

We launched the book at separate events for schoolchildren and business leaders, and received overwhelmingly positive reactions from both. Importantly, it has proven hugely popular with teachers and we are on course to deliver a copy of the book to every Liverpool City Region primary school by the end of this year, along with a lesson plan to help schools incorporate the book within their teaching.

Defined by our people

Halfway through the year, we bade a fond farewell to the inimitable Rachael Stevens, who was instrumental to so much of our recent success at KQ Liverpool, during her time as head of partnerships and external relations, and we wish the very best of luck in her continuing adventures, working for the UK Government on trade and investment in Canada. 

Meanwhile, in keeping with our mission of developing talented young people who live and study in Liverpool City Region, Emily Robson stepped up to become KQ Liverpool’s first assistant chief executive, a role she has taken on with aplomb as she continues to bring invaluable insights and energy to our organisation and helps to set the agenda for KQ Liverpool over the coming years. It was fantastic to see her win the Rising Star Award at this year’s national Estates Gazette Awards.

We were also pleased to welcome Claire Kidman as our new head of partnerships and will in the New Year be appointing an Inclusive Innovation Officer and a Skills Project Coordinator to further boost our work with young people and business.

Claire has helped to lead the return of our popular KQ In the Know events, which have featured expert insights on topics including how to innovate using AI and the power of innovation districts, with more events planned for 2025 and beyond.

An exemplar of success

Our year closed with a visit from an influential group of MPs, the newly-formed House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee (DSIT), who cited the city region as an exemplar of best practice in innovation investment.  

The committee’s first-ever visit took in several key KQ Liverpool sites, including the Materials Innovation Factory at the University of Liverpool, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, with its flagship national Infection Innovation Consortium (iiCON) programme, and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) at Liverpool Science Park, where MPs were welcomed by Mayor Steve Rotheram. 

Once again, it is great to see our innovation district being showcased at the epicentre of the innovation ecosystem.

Moving forward

We are currently working on the finer details of our new KQ Liverpool Vision – KQ 2040 – which we will be launching at the end of January 2025. 

This has been devised with our Chair Andrew Lewis following months of consultation with over sixty key stakeholders, including Liverpool City Council, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool University Hospitals and Bruntwood SciTech to understand their respective needs and their views on KQ Liverpool and its important role within the City Region’s innovation landscape.

Ultimately, our goal is to continue to drive economic growth and job creation while finding new ways to positively impact people’s lives through the delivery of inclusive innovation in the city region over the next 15 years. So, please keep your eyes peeled for more news on that.

Overall, 2024 has been a great year for the KQ Liverpool Innovation District and though there is still much to do we go into 2025 with hope, optimism, determination and the energy to succeed. 

Children’s innovation books (crash)land at LCR primary schools

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Primary schools across the Liverpool City Region have begun to receive copies of a brand new book which aims to inspire the next generation of local innovators.

The Animates : Learning in Liverpool tells the story of six animal friends who crash land from space in the Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool) innovation district and must use science and technology to help them repair their ship and return home.

Written by local author Natalie Reeves-Billing, it has been specially commissioned by KQ Liverpool in partnership with Connected Places Catapult and is part of a major focus on inspiring and training the next generation of innovators by helping young people to understand the many innovation careers that exist in their home city.

Having been tracked by Liverpool John Moores University’s robotic telescope on their descent to Earth, The Animates are then guided on their journey around KQ Liverpool by robotic dog Splodge from the Manufacturing Technology Centre at Liverpool Science Park. Their adventure takes in sites such as the Centre for Snakebite Research at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the Materials Innovation Factory at University of Liverpool. 

More than 5,000 books will be delivered to schools over the coming weeks, accompanied by bespoke, localised lesson plans which are connected to the curriculum and aim to help teachers expand on the material in classrooms. 

Colin Sinclair, chief executive of KQ Liverpool, said: “As we work to build a stronger city region economy, based on our strengths in health and life sciences, materials chemistry, advanced manufacturing and digital and creative industries, it’s essential that we engage local young people and help them to understand the various careers that are right on their doorstep.

“Knowledge Quarter Liverpool is home to the brightest minds conducting world-class research and making global discoveries. Their work continues to help expand the scope of our innovation district and we want to ensure that people who live here have a chance to become part of that journey and benefit from its successes for their own families.

“Our new Animates book reflects a shared commitment among all our partners to achieve that ambition of inclusive innovation. It’s a really fun way of showcasing what happens in KQ Liverpool and the feedback from children, teachers and parents has been fantastic.”

KQ Liverpool is set to expand its groundbreaking inclusive innovation skills and outreach activity over the next five years following £1.13m of Innovation Zone funding from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, while the rollout of the new Animates book has been supported by the Liverpool City Region Careers Hub, CBRE UK, Lloyds Banking Group, Keir, Morgan Sindall and Sciontec.

Mayor Steve Rotheram was on hand to deliver the first copy of the book to Neil Verdin, headteacher at Pleasant Street Primary School. 

He said: “The Liverpool City Region is at the cutting-edge of innovation, particularly in Health and Life Sciences, materials science, and emerging technologies like AI. With growing strengths in net-zero and maritime innovation, we’re cementing our reputation as a hub of creativity, progress, and opportunity.

“Transformative initiatives like our Life Sciences Innovation Zone—set to unlock £800 million in public and private investment—and our Freeport, are laying the foundations for an economy that works for everyone and is built to thrive in the future. 

“These developments are driving growth, creating high-quality jobs, and opening doors to exciting opportunities across the region.

“Inspiring the next generation is crucial to building on this momentum. That’s why, through our Careers Hub, we’ve helped provide Natalie’s brilliant new book, The Animates, to primary schools across the region. This fantastic story will spark children’s imaginations and encourage them to dream big—seeing themselves as future innovators in science, technology, and beyond.”

KQ Liverpool awarded £1.1m to expand skills and outreach programme 

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KQ Liverpool has received funding from the Liverpool City Region Innovation Zone to boost its groundbreaking KQ Futures Programme.

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has awarded £1.13m to widen our programme over the next five years to help prepare children and young people for the high-tech jobs of the future.  

The LCR Innovation Zone Programme is expected to create 8,000 new jobs and attract up to £800m investment to the Liverpool City Region over the next 10 years.  

KQ Futures aims to inspire students from primary school up to 18 years old and help them to benefit from the high-paid jobs the Innovation Zone will bring. 

It will raise aspirations and help tackle a skills shortage in the life sciences sector, removing barriers to future roles in innovative industries and creating new paid internships and workplace experiences in science and technology.  

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:   

“Our economy is being revolutionised by innovation – particularly in sectors like health and life sciences, which is why it’s an incredibly exciting time to be in the Liverpool City Region.  

“We’re standing at the forefront of a transformative period where innovation and sustainability converge, and we want to inspire the next generation of innovators and leaders to be part of that challenge. 

“By expanding this programme, we’re not only tackling skills shortages, but ensuring that every young person – regardless of background – can access these high-skilled, high-paid roles.” 

KQ Futures Programme is one of 20 projects being developed in the first phase of the city region’s 10-year, £160m Life Sciences Innovation Zone. 

The new investment will scale up Knowledge Quarter Liverpool’s existing skills and outreach activity to reach students across the city region. 

Students will learn about the types of innovation happening in the region and the potential career pathways into sectors such as health and life sciences, advanced manufacturing and digital and creative. 

Previous outreach work includes a Careers Insight Week, which welcomed more than 250 students from Year 7 to Sixth Form, in collaboration with LCR Careers Hub.

As part of the expansion, an animated children’s book, The Animates: Learning in Liverpool, will be rolled out across all city region primary schools, accompanied by lessons to introduce the concept of innovation. 

Andrew Lewis, chair of KQ Liverpool, said:  

“Enhancing skills will be fundamental to the Liverpool City Region’s long-term success, and we want to ensure access to innovation opportunities is as inclusive as possible. 

“By connecting local students to the innovations taking place in KQ Liverpool and across the city region, we can equip them to secure a wide range of well-paid local jobs. 

“We have already welcomed hundreds of local young people to KQ Liverpool and we are delighted to now have the opportunity to scale up those efforts and deliver a series of new activities which inspire a new generation.” 

The Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (“KQ Liverpool”) Innovation District is a partnership bringing together the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool City Council, the Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Bruntwood SciTech. 

Emily Robson, assistant chief executive of KQ Liverpool, said: 

“Inclusive innovation sits at the heart of everything we do within Knowledge Quarter Liverpool. It is essential that local communities and future generations are able to play a role in, and receive the benefit of, the many groundbreaking projects that take place here.

“The LCR Innovation Zone funding not only provides us with a financial impetus to expand our KQ Futures activity, but also underlines that we are on the right track and the work we are doing is making a genuine difference to the lives of young people in the city region, today and tomorrow.”

 

The Liverpool City Region Life Sciences Innovation Zone Programme (LCR Innovation Zone Programme) is part of the Government’s national Investment Zone Programme.