St John's Innovation Centre

St John's Innovation Centre was opened in 1987 on land owned by the College in the north of the city. The Innovation Centre provides accommodation for early stage knowledge-based companies. It provides business advice to its tenants, offers them flexible accommodation in leasing terms and also allows them to share communal facilities, including conference rooms and a restaurant.

The first stage of the development was such a success that by the end of 1990 two more buildings, Dirac House (2,300 sq.m) and the self-contained Jeffreys Building (3,100 sq.m) had been completed. Dirac House is named after Paul Dirac, Nobel Prize winner and fellow of St John's College, while the Jeffreys Building is named after Sir Harold Jeffreys, who was also a fellow of St John's. These buildings were specifically designed to accommodate tenants in the second and third stages of their development and as they became more autonomous.  Further development of buildings on the site has led the present thriving high-technology business park.

The Innovation Centre not only provides a supportive environment for tenant businesses, but also promotes technology transfer and innovation at local, national and international levels. There are currently more than 60 companies resident in the Innovation Centre which provides services to more than 350 in total.