UK National Innovation Centre for Ageing
The Centre provides state-of-the-art facilities to help develop, build, test and market a broad range of new products designed to make our lives easier as we age. That includes everything from designing homes and consumer products, to rethinking transport and mobility.

It is also the home of VOICE, a unique organisation made up of citizens who work with universities and other bodies to improve the focus, quality, relevance and impact of research and innovation and help make a positive difference to the lives of older people across the globe.
NICA uses a proprietary approach called Ageing IntelligenceTM. It combines everything from qualitative human insights, experience and emotions, to quantitative big data and statistics to understand not just what is happening, but also why it is happening. They use this approach to deliver ‘Return on Society’, a new index for brands to measure alongside the usual Return on Investment.

At a glance
- £40m development, established in 2017
- Inter-disciplinary innovation eco-system, including design, computer science, engineering, health and social science
- Close links with other major ageing centres of innovation and research nationally and internationally
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The Biosphere The Biosphere is home to an inspiring collection of tenants within tech, medicine and healthcare. It offers regional facilities with a global vision – a buzzing space of collaboration and innovation.More Info -
The Lumen A brand new flagship office space, designed from the ground up to cater for the flexible demands of modern business, whether it be an international brand or a startup pioneer.More Info -
Urban Sciences Building A living laboratory and an exemplar of world-class research and education in computing, digital technology and engineering, producing the next generation of leaders for the digital age. Its unique design has earned the Urban Sciences Building the Collaborative Built Environment Award and Digital Project of the Year Award.More Info -
The Frederick Douglass Centre Shaping the future for learning, weaving together social spaces and lecture theatres, the on-site state-of-the-art £34m facilities include a stunning auditorium for 750, a 200-seat lecture theatre and a range of seminar rooms and exhibition spaces over several floors.More Info -
The Hotel Vastint Hospitality plans to develop the currently vacant Plot 1b site at Newcastle Helix.More Info -
The Spark The Spark is a second landmark office space, promoting both established and new businesses looking for an inspiring working environment. It includes both exclusive occupancy accommodation and large, open informal collaboration space.More Info -
The Core Home to a trail-blazing group of knowledge-based, research-led businesses, addressing the most pressing challenges for the future of cities. It comprises five floors of Grade A office accommodation, meeting rooms and a large open plan event and networking space.More Info -
UK National Innovation Centre for Ageing Bringing together world-leading experts in innovation, the public and the NHS to improve quality of life as we age.More Info -
The National Innovation Centre for Data The National Innovation Centre for Data is delivering key technical and practical data skills into organisations. This improves business competitiveness and drives growth by unleashing the huge potential for innovation offered by the explosive growth in digital data.More Info -
The District Energy Centre A centralised energy system for the entire 24-acre site that will explore emerging energy technologies, housed in a building designed to blend in with the rest of the quarter.More Info -
The Garage The Garage is a transport hub and car park with sustainability at its core. It is designed for the future of electric vehicles, with a network of fast-charging points. If you drive to the Helix, this is where you will park.More Info -
The Key The Key is dedicated to world-leading structural and materials engineering research and exploring how technology can help to lower energy consumption and make buildings cheaper to run.More Info