The National Innovation Centre for Data
The global economy is undergoing a data-driven revolution. Exponential growth in the volume of personal and professional data is raising huge new opportunities and challenges for organisations and individuals. Properly processed and analysed, data can lead to radical innovations, enabling significant value creation.

NICD and your business
Since January 2019, NICD has delivered over 50 events engaging around 5,000 individuals on a range of data related topics. This has led to engagements with over 400 organisations.
Another benefit is that NICD can help your business to work with a research-intensive university. Many of NICDs partners haven't worked with universities before. But through NICD they discover the many benefits of doing so.
Collaborative projects drive business improvement
NICD has run more than 60 deep-dive discovery workshops as pre-cursors to over 40 collaborative projects with private and public sector organisations.
These projects generally have durations from 3-6 months and collaborators range include:
- international Fortune 500 companies (eg. AkzoNobel, LKQ, Proctor & Gamble)
- national organisations (eg. SAGE, Newcastle Building Society, Northern Powergrid)
- SMEs and start-ups (eg. True Potential, Soil Machine Dynamics and Connected Energy)
- across the public sector (eg. NHS Business Services Authority, North East Ambulance Service, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust)
NICD projects have transferred over 500 days of data skills into these organisations. The impact is the delivery of bespoke data insights that are leading to real business efficiencies and new products and services.
As part of the Government’s Industrial and Digital Strategy, the National Innovation Centre for Data plays a key role in enabling the UK economy to compete and thrive in the new data-driven global marketplace.
At a glance
- Delivers insights that help organisations understand the value of data
- Delivers data analytics skills into the workforce of organisations
- Connects organisations into networks of data skills

Colocate with the National Innovation Centre for Data
The Catalyst is a ground-breaking facility that is home to National Innovation Centre for Ageing and National Innovation Centre for Data. The building hosts a suite of bespoke facilities and a range of flexible office space for commercial organisations operating in the data science field. By providing world-class facilities and services under one roof, the building acts as a ‘beacon’ for innovation.
You can find out more about The Catalyst and the tenancy options from the website.
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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 Spark The Spark is our third landmark office space, supporting 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 Hotel Vastint Hospitality plans to develop the currently vacant Plot 1b site at Newcastle Helix.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