The Maxwell Centre is the centrepiece for industrial engagement within the Cambridge West Innovation District, facilitating collaboration between physical scientists, engineers, and industry stakeholders. Through a dynamic exchange of ideas and personnel, the Centre fosters synergy between foundational scientific exploration and applied research, aligning innovation with economic and societal advancement, and connects expertise to facilitate collaborative development of solutions within strategic challenge areas. 

Our mission

The Maxwell Centre acts as a convener, facilitator, knowledge broker and a catalyst for meaningful partnerships that jointly tackle grand challenges through cutting-edge research, new knowledge generation and knowledge exchange, training and objective influencing.

Our values

The Maxwell Centre is committed to support meaningful partnerships based on: responsible research and innovation, fostering diversity, recognition of mutual complementarity of discovery science and downstream applications, open access to trustworthy expertise, and commitment to delivering positive impacts on the environment and humankind.

Strategic focus

The role of science and technology in delivering a robust, healthy society of 2051

The Centre's strategic vision extends to 2051, examining the role of science and technology in shaping a resilient and sustainable society. Its principal objectives include conducting world-leading research in the physical sciences and technology—addressing both immediate and long-term industrial needs—while fostering innovation and enabling societal impact on a broad scale. This is accomplished through a model of ‘engineered serendipity,’ wherein co-located researchers from industry, startups, and academia collaborate within a structured framework designed to facilitate meaningful interactions and strategic partnerships.