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| Cambridge Makerspace | |
|---|---|
| Name | Cambridge Makerspace |
| Caption | Workshop area |
| Established | 2010s |
| Location | Cambridge, England |
| Type | Community workshop |
Cambridge Makerspace Cambridge Makerspace is a community-run workshop and collaborative studio in Cambridge, England that serves hobbyists, researchers, entrepreneurs, and students. It operates at the intersection of maker culture around Fab Lab, startup incubation around Cambridge Science Park, and university-linked innovation present at University of Cambridge, offering access to tools and workspace similar to facilities at MIT Media Lab, Stanford d.school, and Hackerspace networks. The organisation interfaces with regional initiatives such as Greater Cambridge Partnership, Cambridgeshire County Council, and institutions like Anglia Ruskin University.
The founding drew inspiration from international movements including Maker Faire, Fab Lab Network, and Noisebridge, and from local precedents such as Cambridge University Engineering Department workshop traditions and alumni-connected ventures in Silicon Fen. Early organizers included members with connections to ARM Holdings, Cambridge Consultants, and Microsoft Research Cambridge who sought shared fabrication resources akin to TechShop and FabLab Barcelona. Over time the Makerspace collaborated with events at Cambridge Festival, Science Festival, IEEE conferences, and meetups associated with Hackathon culture and OpenStreetMap communities. The venue weathered local planning discussions involving Cambridge City Council and navigated funding pathways used by groups linked to Nesta and Arts Council England.
The workshop contains dedicated zones reflecting equipment found at institutions like Raspberry Pi Foundation labs, Arduino maker benches, and university prototyping centers. Typical resources include laser cutters comparable to those used in Fab Lab Barcelona, CNC mills similar to university engineering workshops, 3D printers following standards set by RepRap projects, electronics benches with components popularized by Adafruit Industries and SparkFun Electronics, and metalworking tools reflecting practices at Royal Society of Arts affiliated studios. Clean areas support projects resonant with work at Wellcome Trust-funded labs and biotech community initiatives like BioHackspace. The space hosts reference materials from publishers such as O'Reilly Media and collaborative software environments familiar to users of GitHub and Eclipse Foundation tools.
Members range from students of University of Cambridge and Imperial College London exchange participants to entrepreneurs from Cambridge Science Park, engineers formerly at ARM Ltd., designers linked to Royal College of Art, and makers affiliated with Open Source Ecology. The community organizes meetups resembling London Hackspace events, collaborates with societies such as Cambridge University Technology and Enterprise Club and Cambridge University Spaceflight Society, and hosts talks featuring figures connected to Ada Lovelace Day celebrations and Sussex Innovation networks. Membership models mirror arrangements used by Hackerspaces.org affiliates and coworking providers similar to WeWork, while partnerships extend to Trinity College JCR activities and outreach through groups like Girlguiding and Young Engineers.
Projects reflect the diversity of Silicon Fen startups, from hardware prototypes informed by ARM Architecture expertise to biohacking experiments inspired by DIYbio. Services include rapid prototyping for incubators like Accelerator programs, consultancy resembling offerings from Cambridge Consultants, and manufacturing runs comparable to small-batch work at Shapeways and Ponoko. Collaborative initiatives have linked with public exhibitions at Fitzwilliam Museum, civic technology projects aligned with Cambridge City Council open data, and cultural commissions echoing curatorial practices at Institute of Contemporary Arts. The Makerspace hosts themed build nights drawing parallels with Hacker News-style discussions and community workshops similar to CoderDojo.
Educational activities collaborate with local schools, colleges such as Hills Road Sixth Form College, and university outreach programmes including Cambridge University Engineering Department open days. Workshops cover curricula influenced by STEM Learning guidelines and practical sessions that reference pedagogy from MIT OpenCourseWare and Khan Academy-style resources. Outreach partnerships have been formed with organisations like Cambridge Hub, Science Museum, and Young Enterprise, and the group has participated in public engagement at Cambridge Festival and events modeled on Maker Faire UK.
Governance follows cooperative and non-profit models seen in Co-operative Party-aligned ventures and community interest companies similar to structures used by Fab Lab Network nodes. The board and committees include volunteers with ties to Cambridge Network, Cambridge Enterprise, and alumni networks from St John’s College, Cambridge and King’s College, Cambridge. Funding sources combine membership fees, grants from bodies like Arts Council England, corporate sponsorships from firms in Silicon Fen such as ARM, project contracts resembling consultancy with Cambridge Consultants, and occasional crowdfunding campaigns inspired by Kickstarter and Indiegogo successes. Compliance and insurance arrangements reference standards applied by Charity Commission for England and Wales registered organisations.
Category:Organizations based in Cambridge