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Work on new £18m innovation centre completed

Alice CunninghamSuffolk
News imageRebecca Bacon/Mid Suffolk District Council A group of representatives from a council and businesses stand together inside a new innovation centre. Two people in the middle hold a large yellow-coloured cardboard key.Rebecca Bacon/Mid Suffolk District Council
Representatives from the council and businesses at the centre's formal hand over ceremony

A new £18m skills and innovation centre has been completed and is expected to open this summer.

Work on the centre at the Gateway 14 business park off the A14, near Stowmarket, started in March 2025, with funding coming from Freeport East and Mid Suffolk District Council.

The three-storey Stowmarket Innovation Gateway will have space for start-up businesses, along with collaboration and innovation areas, meeting rooms and training spaces.

Richard Winch, a Green councillor who is cabinet member for housing and property, said he looked forward to seeing what businesses based there could achieve.

News imageMid Suffolk District Council An artist's impression of what the front and exterior of the new centre could look like. It is mostly made up of large glass windows across three storeys. A car park is in front of the building which has some trees dotted throughout. Animated people can be seen walking to and from the building, including one person who is cycling.Mid Suffolk District Council
The Stowmarket Innovation Gateway will open this summer

"This is such an important facility and the building looks fantastic," he said.

"From the very get go, this has been an incredibly exciting project with the prospect of attracting and supporting innovative businesses and entrepreneurs, not only for the benefit of Stowmarket, but the wider region.

"This centre was designed with growing sectors such as the green economy and digital/AI technology [in mind] and I very much look forward to seeing what businesses that make use of the Stowmarket Innovation Gateway achieve over the coming years."

News imageLuke Deal/BBC Richard Winch on the site where the new innovation centre will be building. He wears a navy suit jacket with a blue shirt underneath. Luke Deal/BBC
Richard Winch, a Green councillor, said it had been an "incredibly exciting project"

The project was delivered in partnership with the universities of Suffolk and Essex, as well as with several colleges who will be running professional development courses to address the region's skills gap.

A ceremony was held on Friday to hand over the building to its new operator, Hethel Innovation, which provides innovation growth support to businesses across East Anglia.

Chris Sargisson, chief executive at Hethel Innovation, said businesses would "flourish" at the site.

"The unique blend of tech enablement, economic incentives and world-class innovation growth support for advanced technology businesses aligns fully with the UK's industrial strategy, making the centre a highly desirable location for scaling businesses and the perfect launchpad to unlock regional growth for many decades to come," he added.

News imageLuke Deal/BBC A group of people stand on a large plot of land that has been cleared and levelled. They are close to a large mechanical digger. Luke Deal/BBC
The ground-breaking ceremony was held at Gateway 14 in March 2025

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