Some Thoughts on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Innovation District’s Innovation Forum

I was privileged to attend the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Innovation District (QEOPID) – Innovation Forum last week. An inspiring mix of voices and perspectives from community leaders, local govt, innovators, and SME’s united by purpose: creating sustainable growth for East London through innovation.

QEOPID is a brilliant encapsulation of “regeneration” not “redevelopment” where, £-for-£ investment in the built environment has been equally matched by LLDC’s mission to build inclusive communities and social opportunity for the long term.

Real Estate has an important role as custodians of spaces – we can go much further to cultivate conditions for lasting change supporting our local communities’ ambitions for a more inclusive and sustainable future and empower local growth. Beyond development, asset owners at every stage in the lifecycle can be catalysts + collaborators.

🔗Connect to Innovations Ecosystems – if you need help finding your local innovation ecosystem, link to Innovate UK

🏢 Start from the ground up — Find local synergies and natural alignment – local ecosystems need partners willing to take the first bet on early-stage innovators. Would your occupiers want the opportunity to connect too?

🔑 Meanwhile uses are a great start. Have you got a more flexible/permanent arrangement for local innovators to leverage infrastructure and space which can support your social value strategies?

💡 Switch out small commercialisation income streams to unlock social value supporting clever, economic and environmentally resilient ideas. Putting innovators at the heart of places of congregation for humans – the built environment – gives them much-needed visibility and builds trust and deep relationships with local communities.

⚖ Review appropriate procurement opportunities – complex and lengthy procurement processes are weighted against SME’s and social innovators who are not resourced adequately. Flexibility and support will help grow the impact of local innovators and to include in the procurement process.

🤝 Encourage collaboration with other custodians of commercial real estate, share success stories to aid awareness, adoption and scale-up of workable solutions.

Balancing our responsibilities as asset owners and managers does not preclude us from nurturing local community growth. This dual objective presents an exciting opportunity to develop local solutions that can scale to create national impact.

To fellow asset owners and managers: Consider how your spaces can contribute to the growth economy. The benefits of engaging with local innovators and communities extend far beyond traditional property metrics. By creating accessible, sustainable spaces for innovation, we can help build more resilient and prosperous communities for all. This isn’t just about asset management – it’s about creating spaces where innovation thrives and communities flourish together.