St John's Innovation Centre facts for kids
St John's Innovation Centre (SJIC) is a special place in Cambridge, England, that helps new science and technology companies grow. It's like a "business incubator" because it gives these young businesses a place to work and support to become successful.
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How the Innovation Centre Started
The idea for the Innovation Centre came from Dr. Chris Johnson in 1984. He was in charge of land and money for St John's College, Cambridge. Dr. Johnson had a science background and was interested in using the college's land to help new businesses. He visited similar centres in the United States, like one in Salt Lake City, Utah.
When he came back, he gathered a small team, including an architect named Ian Purdy and a banker named Walter Herriot, who worked with new companies. They planned the St John's Innovation Centre. A book published in 1985, called The Cambridge Phenomenon, showed how well high-tech companies were growing in Cambridge. This helped St John's College decide to invest in this new idea.
Opening and Growth
St John's Innovation Park was built on land that St John's College had owned since 1534. The Innovation Centre itself opened in 1987. It was the first centre in Europe to focus on helping "knowledge-based" businesses. These are companies that use smart ideas, research, and new technologies. It is also the oldest "business incubator" in the United Kingdom.
More buildings were added later. Dirac House was finished in July 1989. It was named after Paul Dirac, a Nobel Prize winner who was a member of St John's College. The Jeffreys Building was completed in February 1990, named after Sir Harold Jeffreys, another important person from St John's College. Today, the centre has a total usable space of about 53,000 square feet.
Where is the Centre Located?
St John's Innovation Centre is about 3 kilometres north of the main Cambridge city centre. It's easy to reach, being close to junction 33 of the A14 highway. It's also only about 700 metres away from Cambridge Science Park, another important place for science and technology.
The centre is located in an area often called Silicon Fen. This name is similar to Silicon Valley in the US, and it refers to the many technology companies that have grown in the Cambridge region.
Cambridge Technopole Group
St John's Innovation Centre helped start the Cambridge Technopole Group. This is a group that connects different organisations in the greater Cambridge area that support businesses. They work together to help companies succeed.
Companies at the Centre
Most of the companies at St John's Innovation Centre are new businesses just starting out. They work on many different kinds of new technologies. However, some companies have been there for a long time, even if they have also opened offices in other places around the UK or the world.
About 60 companies have offices at the centre, and they employ over 300 people. Companies that start at St John's Innovation Centre have a very good chance of succeeding. Over a five-year period, more than 88% of them are still in business. This is much higher than the average for other similar businesses in Cambridge (about 50%) and in the UK generally (about 45%).
Successful Companies from the Centre
Many successful companies began their journey at St John's Innovation Centre. Here are a few examples:
- Autonomy Corporation plc: This company creates special software for businesses.
- Bioprogress: Now called Meldex, this company develops special films that break down naturally, used in medicines.
- Cachelogic: Now known as Velocix, this company helps deliver online content quickly. It was later bought by a big French telecommunication company, Alcatel-Lucent.
- Jagex: This company develops and publishes online computer games, including popular ones like RuneScape and FunOrb. Millions of people play their games.
- Jobstream Group Plc: This company makes software that helps businesses manage their finances and operations. It started in 1993 and still has an office at the centre.
- Owlstone Nanotech: This company develops tiny chemical sensors. In 2009, they won a big contract from the United States Department of Defense.
- Red Gate Software: This company creates software tools for people who manage computer databases.
- Splashpower: This company worked on wireless power technology. It was founded in 2001 and later acquired by another company in 2008.
- Symbionics: A technology development company founded in 1987. It was acquired by Cadence Design Systems, Inc. in 1998.
- Technetix Group: This company makes equipment for broadband internet networks. It now operates in 21 countries and sells to 91 countries worldwide.
- True Knowledge: This company developed an "Internet Answer Engine" that could answer questions directly.
- Visual Planet: This company develops touch screens that can be used through glass.
- Wacom Components Europe Ltd.: This company developed a special computer chip (ASIC) that was used in the Samsung Galaxy Note range of Smartphones.
- Zeus Technology: A software development company founded in 1995.
