Your business or organisation could connect with the hundreds of businesses and organisations, of all sizes, that we collaborate with, every day, to make a difference to the Kent and Medway economy.

We have a strong track record of working extensively with industry, and are involved in some of the most significant strategic developments in our region, working alongside large companies, small businesses, local government and a range of other organisations in key growth sectors. Whether you are working in creative and digital industries, science and technology, manufacturing, health or education, we are always looking for new opportunities to collaborate and innovate. Contact our Enterprise & Engagement Team to connect with us, and our strong network of businesses and organisations, to explore new possibilities for collaboration.

Hi3 Network

Hi3 Network logo

Hi3 Network will provide free access to state-of-the-art production studios and a secure high-speed cloud-based network for SMEs and researchers across the SE of England working in film, television, e-sports, gaming, fashion, tourism, marketing, and communications. It is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). It is valued at more than £6m and is the largest ERDF grant awarded in the Southeast LEP region.

Virtual Production, Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Motion Capture are just some examples of the creative technologies that businesses and freelancers will be able to engage with when working with Hi3 network. We exist to tackle the challenges that face businesses and find innovative ways forward by producing new products, services, and entertainment.

Our Community and Technology Managers will be on hand to match your business needs and challenges to our portfolio of Researchers and other participating SMEs to ensure your development process is as ambitious as it is achievable. 

You can find more information on Hi3 Network and how it can support your business here, alternatively, contact the Enterprise and Engagement Team at b2b@canterbury.ac.uk to find out more. 

Kent and Medway Engineering, Design, Growth and Enterprise (EDGE) Hub

The new Kent and Medway Engineering, Design, Growth and Enterprise (EDGE) Hub.

Responding to a critical need for highly-skilled engineering graduates, Christ Church has worked with industry partners to create the new Kent and Medway Engineering, Design, Growth and Enterprise (EDGE) Hub.

Manufacturing is a significant growth sector within Kent and Medway, and graduate skills are key to future success.

Companies and organisations across Kent and Medway have been working with us to develop new engineering degrees, higher degree apprenticeships and continuing professional development, ahead of the opening of a new £65m STEM building at the University’s city campus in 2020.

EDGE Hub is supported by government funding through the South East Local Enterprise Partnership and former Higher Education Funding Council for England.

The EGDE Hub will be critical in helping to narrow the national gender and participation gap in engineering and technology education and careers, while injecting an additional 1,250 highly-skilled graduates into the local economy by 2024.

To join us in this exciting new engineering and technology offer, contact the Enterprise & Engagement Team.

Supported by:

South East Local Enterprise Partnership
South East Local Enterprise Partnership
HM Government
HM Government

Creative regional partnerships

Christ Church is a major contributor to the arts and creative industries in Kent and Medway

Christ Church is a major contributor to the arts and creative industries in Kent and Medway, with strong and established partnerships and projects across the South East.

Our creative graduates are taking their talents and industry-relevant skills into local and national businesses and organisations. They are also inspiring entrepreneurship and new business start-ups, many in Kent and Medway.

As well as courses and research that support graduate skills in the region’s creative industries – from games design and journalism to photography and film production – Christ Church is innovating through its collaboration with creative and digital industries.

Since 2011, we have worked alongside one of the UK’s most successful art galleries, Turner Contemporary in Margate on a series of bold and innovative projects with social, cultural and economic impact.

Our collaboration also extends to major cultural events in the region, including Canterbury Festival as its Partner and Principal Sponsor; partnership work with visionary arts charity, Creative Folkestone, through its Folkestone Book Festival; and delivery of the South East’s largest animation festival, Anifest.

If you work in the creative and digital industries, why not talk to our Enterprise & Engagement Team to discover new opportunities for creative collaboration.

Discovery Park

Scientists analysing contents of test tubes in our Life Sciences Industry Liaison Lab at Discovery Park

Our Life Sciences Industry Liaison Lab at Discovery Park, Sandwich, is creating dynamic and industry-relevant connections with companies working at the cutting edge of research, helping them to find solutions that lead to new treatments and ground-breaking discoveries.

Based at the heart of Kent’s leading science and technology park, we are working with a range of pharmaceutical and bio-technology companies across the region. Focusing on industry-led questions and challenges, our staff, students and doctoral researchers are contributing to life science breakthroughs of national and global significance in areas as diverse as pancreatic cancer, IVF technology, and the delivery of drug effects into the body.

With industry standard labs and equipment, and staff based permanently at Discovery Park, there is an ongoing focus on fundamental genomics, genetics and biochemistry, which support the University’s wider STEM offer.

Christ Church also opened a Community Lab at Discovery Park, working with Pfizer and educational charity STEM Learning, to provide local schools with access to the industry standard facilities and equipment normally out of reach in the classroom.

To explore opportunities to connect with our cutting edge life sciences research, contact our Enterprise & Engagement Team.

Ebbsfleet

Ebbsfleet, north Kent, is being informed by research, consultancy and development teams at Christ Church

One of Kent’s largest development plans to create up to 15,000 homes and a 21st century Garden City in Ebbsfleet, north Kent, is being informed by research, consultancy and development teams at Christ Church.

Our University is the Academic Partner for the Ebbsfleet Garden City Healthy New Town Project (HNT), a partnership of the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, the local health sector and the NHS, which is playing a vital role in understanding how new communities and environments can be designed for sustainable healthy living, and learning about new models of healthcare.

Working with local partners through the life of the project and beyond, our research is providing insight into how community activation initiatives offer opportunities for better health and wellbeing, positive behaviour change, and engagement with the Garden City’s built environment among both existing and new resident populations. In addition, connecting the health sector with wider educational provision, we have supported the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation to build an education vision for the Garden City which integrates traditional provision with early years education and lifelong learning.

Looking to the future, Christ Church is a core partner in Ebbsfleet’s Health Care Education and Innovation Quarter (HEiQ), a physical hub for health and education services, innovation and research that is being developed to support growth and wellbeing across the Garden City, and for the wider South East.

To learn more about our involvement at Ebbsfleet, or to find out how you can connect with our range of strategic projects across the region, contact our Enterprise & Engagement Team.

Inspiring STEM education and careers

A group of school girls watching a resuscitation demo led by a STEM Ambassador at a STEM Hub event

We are at the forefront of school engagement and learning enhancement for science, technology, and engineering in Kent and Medway. Our STEM Hub is part of the national network supporting and deploying STEM Ambassadors, bringing together the complementary strengths of the STEM Ambassadors programme and the support offered to teachers and other educators through the National STEM Learning Network.

Based at Canterbury Christ Church University, The STEM Hub supports a strong pipeline of scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians for the regional and UK economy.

The STEM Hub provides free, impartial advice and guidance on a wide range of STEM enrichment and engagement activities for schools and colleges. We help to identify which opportunities can best inspire young people to realise their ambitions to work in STEM sectors, and we support the fulfilment of vital industry skills needs in the region and beyond.

STEM Ambassadors not only inspire young people; they also support teachers in the classroom by explaining current applications of STEM in industry or research.

To discover more, visit the STEM Hub website.

Or to discuss how your organisation can connect with our STEM initiatives, contact our Enterprise & Engagement Team.

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