Freeport East open new Harwich Head Office and Innovation Hub
Freeport East has this week (Tuesday, 13 May) unveiled its new Head Office and Harwich Innovation Hub at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Scandinavia House in Harwich. The event was attended by local Councillors, businesses and members of the Harwich Tourism Group. The new office and innovation facility have been made possible with support from Volunteer It Yourself (VIY) - an organisation that equips young people with trade skills while renovating important community spaces.
The project was delivered in partnership with Tendring District Council and supported by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), which is enabling investment in important local initiatives like this one. The new 'Harwich Innovation Hub', co-located with the Freeport East office, will be a flexible and scalable workspace designed to support both Freeport East partners and businesses that align with key growth sectors such as clean energy, AI, digital and maritime. As well as provision of office space it will also encourage growth and collaboration through hosting workshops, networking events and mentoring programmes.
It will complement other existing shared workspaces in Harwich such as Harwich Connexions and the soon to be opened Air Rescue UK offices which focus on other local businesses and remote employees. Opening of the Hub follows on from a report delivered by Tendring District Council, University of Essex and Freeport East in [December 2024] that identified the creation of an interim pop-up innovation facility in Harwich as a key next step to capturing some of the growth opportunities arising in coming years, combined with Freeport East's focus on supporting local and international innovators and inward investors. The opening this week demonstrates continued progress against recommendations of the report.
Located in the heart of the port and industry area of Harwich, the hub will provide much-needed space for both partners and businesses to collaborate, grow, and access training opportunities. Volunteer It Yourself has now helped transform four key community spaces in the Harwich area - including the new Harwich Innovation Hub. Guided by professional mentors, participants earn trade accreditations and see significant boosts in confidence, employability, and wellbeing from their involvements in projects.
Dulux, VIY's national partner, support the programme by donating paint and decorating supplies to help bring the spaces to life. The Harwich Innovation Hub also forms a key part of the newly emerging Harwich Innovation District, a key element of Freeport East's broader strategy to drive economic development and innovation across the Harwich and wider Tendring area. Working with partners like the University of Essex, Harwich Haven Authority and local businesses, Freeport East have identified a number of local clusters across the clean energy and maritime sectors which will be used to attract new inward investment to the area. The success of attracting Australia-based hydrogen storage experts Rux Energy to set up in Harwich is one such example of what they hope to achieve.
Off the back of the opening of the new facilities, Freeport East will be showcasing the benefits of businesses locating in Harwich at upcoming international events, including the World Hydrogen Summit and UKREiFF in May and Global Offshore Wind in London in June. See the Harwich Clean Energy and Maritime Cluster report here: Opergy-Report-Clean-Energy-Innovation-Cluster-at-Harwich-Final-Nov2023.pdf[1] Steve Beel, Chief Executive of Freeport East, said: "The launch of the Harwich Innovation Hub is a major step forward in our mission to make Freeport East and Harwich a hub for sustainable growth and future-focused innovation.
We're incredibly grateful to Volunteer It Yourself and their brilliant team of young volunteers, whose hard work has transformed our office into a modern, collaborative space that reflects our ambitions. This project is not only about improving our workspace - it's about investing in the next generation, supporting young people to gain practical skills, and creating new opportunities for businesses to connect, grow, and thrive together. "We're excited for what's to come as we build a stronger, greener economy for the region and would encourage other like-minded businesses to join us in our Innovation Hub to have conversations that will make a difference."
Ivan Henderson, Deputy Leader of Tendring District Council and Freeport East Board member, said: "The opening of the Harwich Innovation Hub marks an exciting milestone not just for Freeport East, but for Harwich and the wider region. It's fantastic to see how the hard work of local young people, through Volunteer It Yourself, has helped create a space that will drive forward skills, innovation, and business growth. This project is a brilliant example of how collaboration between local authorities, community organisations, and businesses can deliver real, lasting benefits to raise aspirations and create opportunities in the community.
"I'm proud that Tendring District Council has been able to support this initiative through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and I look forward to seeing the Innovation Hub become a catalyst for new ideas, new opportunities, and a stronger local economy."
Issued on behalf of Freeport East
References
- ^ Opergy-Report-Clean-Energy-Innovation-Cluster-at-Harwich-Final-Nov2023.pdf (freeporteast.com)