Knowledge Quarter launched at British Library

The Knowledge Quarter, a partnership of 35 academic, cultural, research, scientific and media organisations based in Kings Cross, Euston and Bloomsbury, was launched today at the British Library in London.

The members, ranging from the British Museum and the University of the Arts London to the Connected Digital Economy Catapult, Wellcome Trust, The Guardian and the Aga Khan University, will work together to share their information, ideas, research and innovation.

The aim of the Knowledge Quarter is to make the outstanding facilities, collections and expertise of its members understood, available and used as widely as possible for the benefit of researchers, creative people, students and the local community.

The headquarters of the £42 million pioneering Alan Turing Institute for Data Science will be based at Knowledge Quarter – with spurs around the country. The world-class research institute, dedicated to British computer pioneer and WW2 Enigma code-breaker Alan Turing, will work with universities across the country to focus on new ways of collecting, organising and analysing large sets of data – commonly known as big data.

The objectives of the Knowledge Quarter are:

• To facilitate knowledge exchange and identify opportunities to collaborate and achieve efficiencies between members;
• To identify and support local environment and infrastructure projects with Camden Council, the GLA and TfL;
• To raise awareness of the value of the Knowledge Quarter and its resources with stakeholders; and
• To support the local community by improving access to its resources and collections.

Roly Keating, chief executive of the British Library and chair of the Knowledge Quarter, said on the launch: 'The area around King’s Cross, St Pancras and Euston stations is a gateway to the most valuable commodity of the 21st century – knowledge. Just as the great Victorian railway engineers built a revolutionary transport hub for people and goods in this part of London, so the Knowledge Quarter will establish an interchange for creative ideas, research and innovation: a centre for the knowledge economy in the 21st century.'