Developed in partnership with industry and supported by multi-million-pound capital investment, the Engineering, Design, Growth and Enterprise (EDGE) Hub is a University-wide strategic initiative, which addresses the current challenges faced by businesses and organisations in the South-East, acting as a catalyst for change and inwards investment, together with the stimulation of new skills and innovation for Industry 4.0 and 5.0.
The heart of Engineering, Design, Growth and Enterprise.
Headquartered at the flagship Verena Holmes STEM facility (image below), the EDGE Hub will be worth an estimated £11.4m per year to the Kent and Medway economy through its distributed hubs, creating a sustainable and diverse regional talent pool with 30 to 40% of graduates from under-represented groups. A hub for innovation, research and professional development offering a range of services that organisations can access, the EDGE Hub has distributed centres of excellence across Kent and Medway and holds the STEM Learning schools network contract, STEM Hub, for the South-East; is the nominated WISE Hub for the South-East; part of the international CDIO (Conceive, Design, Implement & Operate) community; and Primary Engineer’s education partner for the South-East.
With state-of-the-art facilities and technology, access to specialist equipment and resources: businesses, budding entrepreneurs, and innovators can design, test, and bring ideas to market with the assistance of our highly qualified team.
Facilities include:
- Hi-tech makerspace featuring mechatronics and mechanical physics labs
- High fidelity AR/VR suites
- Large scale laboratories and Instrumentation Workshops
- Science Spectrometry Laboratories
- MRI Scanner and X-Ray facilities
- Hydra Suite
- Medical and Sport Science Simulation Suites
- Meeting rooms and conference facilities over four storeys
