The Park community continues to grow with the arrival of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), a global leader in online child safety.
An international, not-for-profit organisation, the IWF carries out some of the most challenging work in online safety. Work few others can, or will, do. It is the only civil organisation in the UK with a remit to proactively identify, assess and secure the removal of child sexual abuse material from the internet, making its role both unique and essential. Having been founded 30 years ago this year, it operates Europe’s largest centre for this type of work.
These efforts to protect children happen quietly and out of sight, but the impact is felt worldwide through close collaboration with technology companies, law enforcement and international partners to ensure criminal content is disrupted and removed swiftly and responsibly. The scale of the IWF’s work is stark: in 2025 alone, more than 312,000 reports were assessed and confirmed as containing criminal material.
At the heart of the IWF’s work is its public reporting service, which enables anyone who encounters child sexual abuse content online to report it confidentially. These reports are handled by a highly trained team of specialist analysts, whose work is supported by gold-standard safeguarding, welfare and wellbeing practices. Alongside its front-line operations, IWF also plays a key role in shaping online safety legislation and policy in the UK and internationally, providing evidence and expertise to help protect children in an increasingly complex digital world.
Close to 90 IWF employees will now call the Park home. The move will take place over the coming weeks. In choosing Cambridge Science Park, Kerry Smith, its CEO, said: “The IWF is a unique organisation that has grown in depth and size as we adapt to the ever-evolving challenge of keeping children safe online. For this, we needed a new home that would best support our particular needs. The Science Park is ideal, and provides a number of benefits, particularly the access to outdoor spaces, given how important the welfare of our team is to the culture at IWF. We look forward to exploring the Park and meeting other organisations in the community.”
After five decades of global excellence, the Park continues to grow as a purpose-led community. As a non-profit organisation, the IWF is always looking for new support, partners and opportunities for collaboration to further its mission. The arrival of the IWF reflects a shared commitment to collaboration and making a meaningful difference.