Freeport East opens new Harwich Head Office and Innovation Hub

Freeport East has this week (Tuesday 13th May) unveiled its new Head Office and Harwich Innovation Hub at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Scandinavia House in Harwich. The event was attended by local Councillors, businesses and members of the Harwich Tourism Group.

The new office and innovation facility have been made possible with support from Volunteer It Yourself (VIY) - an organisation that equips young people with trade skills while renovating important community spaces. The project was delivered in partnership with Tendring District Council and supported by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), which is enabling investment in important local initiatives like this one.

The new ‘Harwich Innovation Hub’, co-located with the Freeport East office, will be a flexible and scalable workspace designed to support both Freeport East partners and businesses that align with key growth sectors such as clean energy, AI, digital and maritime. As well as provision of office space it will also encourage growth and collaboration through hosting workshops, networking events and mentoring programmes. It will complement other existing shared workspaces in Harwich such as Harwich Connexions and the soon to be opened Air Rescue UK offices which focus on other local businesses and remote employees.

Steve Beel, Chief Executive of Freeport East, said: “The launch of the Harwich Innovation Hub is a major step forward in our mission to make Freeport East and Harwich a hub for sustainable growth and future-focused innovation. We’re incredibly grateful to Volunteer It Yourself and their brilliant team of young volunteers, whose hard work has transformed our office into a modern, collaborative space that reflects our ambitions. This project is not only about improving our workspace - it’s about investing in the next generation, supporting young people to gain practical skills, and creating new opportunities for businesses to connect, grow, and thrive together.

“We’re excited for what’s to come as we build a stronger, greener economy for the region and would encourage other like-minded businesses to join us in our Innovation Hub to have conversations that will make a difference.”