East London has long been known for its spirit and industrial nature. Of late the area has had a mix of fortunes; the industrial and manufacturing sectors it relied on have been in decline for decades, meanwhile the gentrification of places such as Shoreditch, Hackney and Hoxton have lead to them becoming beacons for the digital and creative professions. For those living in the area, crumbling Victorian housing and tired post-war council estates sit side by side with multi million pound penthouses and exclusive developments.

From an area so wildly diverse comes opportunity. CEME was established in 2003 as part of a £400m regeneration programme in East London. Charged to bring prosperity and employment to the area via the regeneration of the manufacturing, engineering and technology (MET) sector, CEME’s reach and influence was developed to be felt throughout the Thames Gateway.

From it’s opening, CEME has worked with businesses to:

• Create over 3,000 jobs
• Deliver over 500,000 training delegate days
• Incubate over 400 businesses
• Hold over 10,000 events
• Become a financially self-supporting organisation
• Been a catalyst for economic growth within East London and the Thames Gateway

 CEME timeline

Take a whistle stop tour of CEME’s history:

2003: CEME was opened by Prime Minister, Tony Blair. The Ford Engineering Apprentice Programme was set up at CEME.

2003 – 2005: CEME gets to work within the local business community. The first tenants move in and the real work incubating MET businesses begins.

2006: Gateway to Skills is launched. An initiative which gives primary and secondary schools unparalleled access to high-tech equipment and teaching resources to foster and encourage children’s love of science, technology, engineering and maths.

2007: The London Borough of Havering’s Learning & Development Centre is opened at CEME.

2008: CEME forms a partnership with Oxford Innovation, an organisation which helps ambitious start-up and established business to grow and succeed.

2009: The Gateway to Investment project was launched providing access to finance for small technology businesses.

2010: CEME achieved charitable status.

2012: Was a very busy year. Not only was the High Speed Sustainable Manufacturing Institute (HSSMI – www.hssmi.org) launched, but plans to launch Elutec (www.elutec.co.uk) were approved.

2013: Toyota opened a Toyota Lexus training academy at CEME.

2014:  CEME reached full occupancy so developed plans to expand capacity to enable more training and more technology business growth.

2015:  ITM Power constructed a Hydrogen Refuelling Station at CEME for passenger and commercial hydrogen-powered vehicles.

2016:  The North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) created a 16,000 sq ft learning and development centre at CEME.

2017:  The CEME Launchpad Centre opens, providing co-working space, small offices and business support to early stage technology businesses. 

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