In 2019, the University of Essex opened a brand new Innovation Centre on its Colchester Campus. The Centre forms a collaborative home for like-minded entrepreneurs, start-ups and students. It’ll bolster the eastern region’s growth of innovation in science, technology and digital creative industries.

As part of the Innovation Centre, the University of Essex formed Studio X, its designated digital creative studio. It’s also home to its student business start-up programme Essex Startups and its University Enterprise Zone. As part of Studio X’s services, they provide high-tech equipment and software — including an Igloo Shared VR cylinder.

The Igloo cylinder gives students, start-ups and entrepreneurs a chance to demonstrate their creativity and visualize ideas, concepts and business plans.

“The Igloo is a statement from our perspective of a footprint of where we see technology taking the next step when it comes to entrepreneurism,” says James Cracknell, Startup Practitioner at the University of Essex’s Innovation Centre.

“It’s about us looking at the business models and the business ideas and giving them that visual representation. We’re moving things forward in that respect and I think that’s very much an intrinsic part of the values of the university: looking forward and looking for the next level of what they can achieve.”

COMPANY: Igloo