Landmark Timeline

Across the autumn term, Here East hosted Umbilical, a striking ten metre sculpture by renowned artist Conrad Shawcross. The installation featured a complex system of interlocking mechanical arms that slowly rotated in a continuous, never-repeating sequence creating a hypnotic display of engineering and artistry. The work demonstrated how art and engineering intersect and how ideas are built, not just imagined.

Freshers Fest brought together students from across the five universities based at Here East – UCL, Loughborough University London, Staffordshire University London, Teesside University and LMA. Students enjoyed live music, information stands and big giveaways. The event highlighted the vibrancy of the campus community, creating an open space for students to meet, connect and to begin their journey.

Opening its doors at Here East, the centre is a tribute to one of the world’s most iconic performers. The Bowie Centre brings together more than 90,000 items from the legendary artist’s archive - stage costumes, handwritten lyrics, and personal ephemera – offering the public an unprecedented window into his creative world.

The fifth cohort of Here East scholars joined the campus, strengthening Here East’s commitment to creating opportunities, increasing access and opening real pathways into industry. The programme connects students with education and organisations they can learn from, as well as the creative and technological ecosystem they can grow within.

A Future Talks event brought together leading voices from the creative, education and technology sectors to debate the dangerous ideas shaping the future of storytelling. Industry roundtables and panel discussions explored AI, creativity, funding risk takers and how education can unlock imagination, not just teach tools.

Here East convened an immersive research lab exploring the future of architecture, digital design and urban innovation. Partner institutions unveiled prototypes, installations and experiments that turned the campus into a live testing ground and showed how the built environment can evolve in real time, not theoretical space.

'Summer by the Canal' opened the season with weekly live music from some inspiring local musicians, all on Canalside. Creating an open, welcoming space for everyone to enjoy. The annual programme brought local residents, visitors and workers together across the cafés, bars and restaurants that line Here East’s Canalside, offering free performances as the sun went down.

V&A East Storehouse welcomed a landmark visitor as Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales toured the new collection. The moment brought national attention to the museum’s innovative, open-access approach to its archives, strengthening V&A East as a cultural anchor on the Here East campus and inspiring the next generation of young creatives.

In partnership with Hackney Council, the annual Diversity in Tech event returned to the campus, convening leaders and local talent to examine equity and inclusion in an AI-driven world. Conversations focused on how diverse perspectives strengthen innovation, reinforcing the idea that creating at scale requires broad access to skills, opportunities and representation across the tech ecosystem.

To celebrate SXSW coming to London, Here East and LMA hosted 'It all starts Here', an evening of music, technology and new ideas that showcased how the campus connects global platforms with local talent. The event reinforced the position of Here East as a launchpad for creative journeys, where analogue meets digital and imagination becomes production.

Here East celebrated a cultural milestone with the opening of the V&A East Storehouse and the World Press Photo Exhibition. The occasion marked the campus as a destination for global culture and creativity and placed world class institutions alongside students, makers and local communities.

As part of Hackney History Festival, 'Innovation on Historic Grounds' brought together members of the community for an evening of interactive exhibits and behind-the-scenes insights. Gavin Poole led a look back at the site’s transformation from Olympic infrastructure to a thriving ecosystem, shaping long-term impact in East London.

Here East’s new podcast, Visionary, explores the ideas, people and innovations redefining how we live and work. Hosted by Georgina Godwin and produced at Here East’s studio in London, the series profiles the boldest thinkers, makers and change-agents of our time. Through smart conversations and fresh perspectives, Visionary invites listeners to step into the future, where big ideas meet real-world solutions.

A Future Talks session explored how the UK can lead the next wave of human centred innovation. Experts from government, industry and academia discussed AI, robotics, quantum and design and emphasised collaboration, creativity and people first thinking as the drivers of technological leadership.

The fifth annual investor showcase by Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates brought together over 200 investors, entrepreneurs and policymakers, focused on healthtech and life sciences, highlighting the UK’s unique proposition in healthtech and underscoring the role of innovation-districts like Here East in bridging academia, industry and capital.

Alongside London & Partners and Oury Clark, Here East co-hosted London Calling, a transatlantic networking event during SXSW Austin, connecting investors, founders and creative leaders from the UK and US. The night highlighted London as a global hub for technology, creativity and climate innovation and built momentum toward SXSW London.

East London has earned recognition as a top destination for 2025, with The New York Times naming it a top travel destination and Stratford ranking #2 in Time Out’s list of the 15 best places to visit in the UK. Adding to its growing allure, SXSW London debuded in East London in June, further cementing the area’s status as a hub for innovation and culture.

The global creative tech community gathered at Here East for the REMIX Summit. Keynotes, immersive sessions and networking filled the campus and placed East London at the forefront of global conversations about culture, creativity, entrepreneurship and the industries that will shape society.

In collaboration with Hackney Council, Here East hosted the ‘Diversity in Tech: Power to Create Your Own Pathway’ event, exploring how East London’s young innovators can carve out unique pathways into tech careers.

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In June 2024, Here East announced a new and exciting charity partnership with Badu, joining forces to tackle child poverty in the local London growth boroughs and make a tangible difference to the lives of vulnerable children.

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Here East hosted ‘Future Frontiers’ in collaboration with Tech London Advocates, bringing innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, and tech leaders together in Plexal to explore the future of London’s tech sector ahead of the mayoral election.

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During SXSW in Austin, Texas, Here East hosted ‘London Calling: Where Pioneering Ideas Meet Business Opportunities’ in collaboration with London & Partners, exploring the power of transatlantic bonds between London and the US.

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Our fourth Future Talks event asked the following question: ‘Is Technology Killing Entertainment?’ It brought together innovators and industry leaders to examine whether technology – specifically AI – is changing entertainment for better or worse.

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Here East hosted the annual REMIX Summit – a global conference where culture, technology and entrepreneurship collide – this year, focusing on exploring: ‘The Future of Culture and Creative Industries’.

Here East hosted a live broadcast of one of the BBC’s flagship political programmes, BBC Radio 4’s ‘Any Questions?’, which saw a live audience quiz a panel of influential political and media figures on timely global and local issues.

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Our third Future Talks event convened industry leaders and futurologists to imagine what London will look like in the decades to come, diving deeper into why the capital is a leading global smart city and how it can retain its reputation.

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The Here East Scholarship Programme welcomed its third cohort of students to campus, seeing them embark on courses at two of the world-class academic institutions based on site: Staffordshire University London and LMA.

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The renowned media and performing arts institution co-owned by Robbie Williams, LMA, expanded its space at Here East, enabling it to increase the quality of its offering to students across numerous degrees on the campus.

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Here East announced the creation of the Here East Virtual Twin in partnership with digital design specialists Squint/Opera, which will provide a platform for people from across the world to visit our campus virtually.

Our second Future Talks event asked the following question: ‘AI: Friend or Foe?’ It brought together experts across business, technology, the creative industries, and academia to explore future use cases of AI and discuss how the landscape is evolving.

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Gavin Poole and Andrew Roughan formally committed Here East to the Armed Forces Covenant, in the presence of General Sir Jim Hockenhull, Commander of UK Strategic Command, underlining the campus’s commitment to supporting the armed forces community.

Here East returned to Austin, Texas for South by Southwest (SXSW), hosting six Future Talks roundtables exploring real-world applications of the Metaverse. Led by experts from arts, education, gaming, design and business, the sessions examined how emerging technologies are shaping the future of creative and digital industries.

The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, launched his series of Treasury Connect Conferences at Plexal, bringing together leaders from the finance sector and regulatory bodies to explore how green industries can drive sustainable economic growth.

Gavin Poole joined the annual International Board Meeting of the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation, bringing together global leaders to share insight and strengthen international collaboration across innovation ecosystems.

Film industry innovators Hawk London, pioneers of high end cinematography lenses, announced they were joining the community of creators and collaborators based at Here East, further enhancing the campus’s creative and production capabilities.

Teesside University London announced Here East as the location for its new campus, opening in September 2023, expanding access to industry-focused higher education and strengthening the talent pipeline across technology and digital sectors.

Both the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and the Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, chose the Here East campus to deliver their priorities for the year ahead – the former at Plexal and the latter at UCL.

Here East hosted its first Future Talks event, bringing together leaders from business, government and academia to explore the role the Metaverse could play in unlocking new growth opportunities.

The annual Here East Merrymaking event returned to The Yard, bringing tenants and partners together for an evening of connection and community spirit. With live music, winter themed games and complimentary food and drink, it offered a chance for everyone across the campus to come together and celebrate the season.

Here East collaborated with Hackney Council to launch the Diversity in Tech: Breaking the Barriers report at Plexal. As part of London Tech Week’s tenth anniversary, the campus also hosted the Hackney Diversity in Tech Commission’s Opening Doors to Diverse Talent showcase, spotlighting pathways into the technology sector.

Here East welcomed Nyla Rawlins, Carlita Franco and James Henry, who were awarded full scholarships to study at the campus based universities through the Here East Scholarship Programme, helping local students access higher education and career opportunities.

More than 2,000 students attended Freshers Fest on campus, as students from Staffordshire University London, LMA and Loughborough University London prepared for the new academic year and connected with the wider Here East community.

Here East celebrated its tenth anniversary with the launch of a landmark Impact Report, marking a decade of regeneration, innovation and collaboration since transforming the former Olympic Press and Broadcast Centre into a thriving hub for education and enterprise.

Here East hosted the closing ceremony for London Tech Week’s Future: Tech, Creative Arts and Innovation on the Olympic Park, welcoming hundreds in person and online and formally launching SHIFT, the new inclusive innovation district on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Here East introduced a new all electric shuttle fleet as part of its commitment to building a greener, more sustainable campus. Operated by Go Ahead London, the four electric buses replaced the previous diesel vehicles transporting visitors between Stratford Station and Here East.

Here East launched its Scholarship Programme to support local young people from Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest with full undergraduate tuition fees, a yearly maintenance loan supplement and facilitated work experience placements within the Here East business community.

Here East published its Esports Feasibility Report, outlining a roadmap to accelerate the development of a world-class esports cluster on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The research supported wider industry momentum, with UK esports startups raising a record £42 million in investment in 2020 and identified the Park as a natural base for esports innovation, talent development and economic growth.

Staffordshire University London expanded its presence at Here East, doubling its campus footprint to accommodate growing student numbers and deepening its industry-linked learning and research activity within the east London innovation ecosystem.

As the pandemic unfolded, Here East and its tenants mobilised rapidly to support local communities, delivering food parcels, assisting hospitals and schools, and providing space and resources for frontline services.

The Global Disability Innovation Hub, based at Here East, was named the world’s first World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre on Assistive Technology, reinforcing the campus’s global leadership in inclusive innovation.

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Design-led furniture brand Plykea chose Here East as the home for its new London flagship space, combining studio, workshop and showroom in one location. The move reflected the growing appeal of the campus to digitally native, sustainability-focused businesses blending design, manufacturing and direct-to-consumer innovation.

Here East was named best in the commercial category at the Grand Final of the National RICS Social Impact Awards 2020, recognising its sustained social and environmental impact and contribution to East London’s regeneration.

In collaboration with Beyond the Box Consultants and RIBA, Here East launched The People’s Pavilion, a competition to create London’s first community space designed entirely by young people, putting the next generation at the heart of public space design.

Aura Organics revealed plans to open a new spa and wellbeing destination on the Here East campus, bringing its holistic beauty and therapy services to the heart of the community and expanding the campus offering for tenants and visitors alike.

Here East, alongside UCL and Plexal, announced the launch of the £1.2 million East London Inclusive Enterprise Zone (ELIEZ), creating what was set to become the UK’s most accessible technology hub. Featuring an innovation lab optimised for accessibility and developed in collaboration with Disability Rights UK, the initiative aims to accelerate disability-led innovation and launch 100 new inclusive startups, building on the legacy of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Here East unveiled the second cohort of the East London Innovators programme, continuing its commitment to nurturing local entrepreneurship by providing founders with tailored support, industry connections and opportunities to grow within the Here East ecosystem.

Liverpool Media Academy (LMA) announced plans to open a state of the art London campus at Here East, expanding creative education provision in east London and creating new industry-focused learning opportunities.

The Trampery opened its collaborative workspace on The Gantry at Here East, introducing 21 freestanding studios and one of London’s most vibrant and affordable spaces for creative businesses and artists, adding momentum to the campus’s creative community.

Staffordshire University London launched a dedicated esports hub at Here East, creating a purpose-built space for industry-aligned learning, competition and collaboration and supporting the growth of esports as an emerging sector.

Here East revealed the first cohort of the East London Innovators programme, a new initiative aimed at supporting local founders and early stage companies with mentoring, workspace and access to the wider campus community to help them scale and succeed.

Global supply chain specialist APL Logistics announced the relocation of its UK headquarters to Here East, strengthening the campus ecosystem with its expertise in logistics and operations and highlighting Here East’s appeal to international, scale-focused businesses.

The Victoria and Albert Museum unveiled plans to open a new Collection and Research Centre inside the former Broadcasting Centre at Here East, reimagining how its world-leading collection of art, design and performance would be accessed and experienced. The purpose-built facility will house over 250,000 objects and 917 archives, inviting the public behind the scenes to explore conservation, research and display in new and immersive ways.

Electric scooter sharing app Bird launched its first UK pilot at Here East, introducing an affordable and environmentally friendly transport option across Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The initiative aimed to tackle the “last mile” challenge between Stratford and the campus, demonstrating the site’s role as a testbed for new mobility solutions.

Here East was named Best Refurbished and Recycled Workplace in the UK by the British Council for Offices, recognising the transformation of the former Olympic Broadcast Centre into a world-class, multi-functional campus where business, education and research come together.

The UK government awarded £13.5 million in funding to support the London Office for Rapid Cybersecurity Advancement (LORCA) at Here East, strengthening the UK’s cyber innovation ecosystem by accelerating startups, scaling new technologies and boosting national resilience in cybersecurity.

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Ladbrokes Coral announced it had chosen Here East as the location for its new Innovation and Technology Hub, bringing its technology, data and engineering teams to the campus and establishing a new base for digital product development.

Global luxury fashion retailer MATCHESFASHION.com announced plans to open new design studios at Here East, creating a dedicated space for its creative and product teams and reinforcing the campus’s appeal as a home for fashion tech, design innovation and digitally driven businesses.

Ford announced plans to establish its Smart Mobility Innovation Office at Here East, creating a base for developing and testing new transport solutions focused on connectivity, data and future urban mobility. The move brought a global automotive leader into direct collaboration with startups, academics and technology partners on campus.

Plexal, the innovation space and accelerator at Here East, officially opened, providing a collaborative hub for entrepreneurs, startups, corporates and innovators to test ideas, scale ventures and tackle global challenges across sectors including mobility, health, cyber and diversity in tech.

Here East was awarded Wired Certified Platinum status, the highest digital connectivity rating from WiredScore, recognising the campus’s world-class digital infrastructure and flexible internet provision. Joining a select group of elite buildings including the Empire State Building, the accolade reinforced Here East’s position as London’s home for making and a leading destination for digital and creative businesses.

With businesses active on site and Canalside open, Here East marked its official launch in October 2016, completing the transformation of the former Olympic Press and Broadcast Centre into a thriving campus for innovation, education and enterprise.

Here East announced plans to unveil Lage D’or, a new major public artwork by acclaimed British artist Gavin Turk, bringing bold contemporary art to the campus and enhancing the cultural landscape of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Acclaimed choreographer Wayne McGregor announced plans to establish a world-class arts space at Here East on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, bringing a new creative hub for performance, research and interdisciplinary collaboration to the campus.

The project formerly known as iCITY was rebranded as Here East, marking a defining moment in its evolution from Olympic legacy site to innovation campus. Architects Hawkins\Brown presented the vision for repurposing the International Press and Broadcast Centre, while dn&co and Poke developed the new name and brand identity that would shape the campus’s future direction.

Plans for the iCITY technology hub at the former Olympic Press and Broadcast Centre were approved, taking a key step towards transforming the site into a new innovation campus and progressing the Olympic legacy into a long-term destination for tech, education and creative industries.

Here East and the London Legacy Development Corporation finalised a long-term lease for the creative and digital cluster on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, laying the foundation for the transformation of the former Olympic Press and Broadcast Centre into a hub for innovation, education and enterprise.

BT Sport became the first active tenant on site, launching its new sports broadcasting operation from the former Olympic Broadcast Centre in February 2013. The move marked the beginning of the site’s transformation from Games-time media hub to a permanent home for live production, innovation and enterprise.

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The Mayor of London and the London Legacy Development Corporation approved iCITY as the sole preferred bidder to become the long-term tenant of the Olympic Press and Broadcast Centres. The decision marked a major step in securing the site’s post-Games legacy, with plans to create a leading centre for technology, design and research capable of generating over 4,000 jobs and establishing a new commercial heart for Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

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