Norwich Research Park Explained

Norwich Research Park
Established:	1992
Budget:	£100M annual research spend by partners
Research Field:	Plants, Environment, Food and Health, Food Innovation, Microbes in the Food Chain
President:	David Parfrey
Address:	Norwich Research Park
City:	Norwich
State:	Norfolk
Country:	England
Coordinates:	52.6239°N 1.2239°W
Zipcode:	NR4 7UG

Norwich Research Park (NRP) is a business community located to the southwest of Norwich in East Anglia close to the A11 and the A47 roads. Set in a 568abbr=offNaNabbr=off area of parkland, it is one of five Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) funded Research and Innovation Campuses. It is the only site with three BBSRC funded research institutes and is considered as having one of Europe's largest concentrations of researchers in the fields of agriculture, genomics, health and the environment.^[1]

The focus of the community is on creating and supporting new companies and jobs based on bioscience.^[2] It is also a partnership between the University of East Anglia, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, and four independent world-renowned research institutes (John Innes Centre, Quadram Institute, Earlham Institute, and The Sainsbury Laboratory) linked to the Gatsby Charitable Foundation. There are over forty businesses located on the site over 100000square feet of office and lab space with over 12,000 people, including 3,000 researchers and clinicians with an annual research spend of over £164 million.^[3]

History and facilities

The research park was officially launched in 1992 when it comprised the schools of Biological and Chemical Sciences at the University of East Anglia, the John Innes Centre, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) Food Science Laboratory and the British Sugar Technical Centre.^[4] The MAFF Laboratory moved to York in 1992. The British Sugar Technical Centre closed its laboratories in Norwich in 2001.^[5] Facilities located on the site include:

• The John Innes Centre (JIC), an independent centre for research and training in plant and microbial science founded in 1910.^{[6] [7]} In 2017, the John Innes Centre was awarded a gold Athena SWAN Charter award for equality in the workplace.^[8]
• The University of East Anglia (UEA), founded in 1963, a public research university and one of the nation's most-cited research institutions worldwide.^[9] The university ranks in the Top 1% worldwide according to the Times Higher Education world rankings,^[10] and within the world Top 100 for research excellence in the Leiden Ranking, with UEA "often out-performing Russell Group universities".^[11]
• The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL), a research institute that carries out fundamental biological research and technology development on aspects of plant disease, plant disease resistance and microbial symbiosis in plants. It was founded in 1988.^[12]
• The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH), founded in 2001, a large National Health Service academic teaching hospital and is a partner with the University of East Anglia in the delivery of courses. It is one of the largest hospitals in the United Kingdom in terms of in-patient capacity.^[13]
• The Earlham Institute (EI), founded in 2009, a life science research institute focused on exploring living systems by applying computational science and biotechnology to answer ambitious biological questions and generate enabling resources.^[14]
• The Quadram Institute, which opened in 2018, a centre for food and health research. The institute is a partnership between Quadram Institute Bioscience, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the University of East Anglia and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).^{[15] [16]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: 11 December 2023 . University of East Anglia (UEA) . www.timeshighereducation.com.
2. Web site: NORWICH RESEARCH PARK - OVERVIEW. East of England.
3. Web site: Our Community - Norwich Research Park. Norwich Research Park.
4. http://www.ifr.ac.uk/about/history/ "A Short History of Food Research"
5. Michael Sanderson The History of the University of East Anglia, Norwich 2002. p102
6. 10.1038/202337e0 . The John Innes Institute . Nature . 202 . 4930 . 337–338. 1964 . 1964Natur.202U.337. . free .
7. Humphries . E. C. . The John Innes Institute . 10.1038/204232a0 . Nature . 204 . 4955 . 232 . 1964 . 1964Natur.204..232H . free .
8. Web site: The Gold Standard: John Innes Centre receives Athena SWAN Gold award . John Innes Centre . 2017-11-14.
9. Web site: Succcess in Times Higher Education rankings sees UEA rise to five-year high. Norwich Research Park.
10. Web site: New rankings place UEA in world top 150. UEA. 19 August 2016.
11. Web site: League Table & Uni Guide. UEA. 19 August 2016. 21 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170921183354/https://portal.uea.ac.uk/arm/publications/endorsements-and-key-messages/league-tables-uni-guide/current. dead.
12. Web site: Sainsbury . David . David Sainsbury . 2023-03-08 . www.davidsainsbury.org.uk . en-US.
13. Web site: Press Release Archive - UEA. comm.uea.ac.uk. 15 November 2007. 19 September 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20020919004815/http://comm.uea.ac.uk/press/release.asp?id=137. dead.
14. Web site: Earlham Institute – Decoding living systems for a better world. www.bbsrc.ac.uk. BBSRC. 30 June 2016.
15. Web site: Faulkner. Doug. Go with your gut – how biology is big business. 2020-07-01. Eastern Daily Press. 3 March 2017. en.
16. Web site: Scott. Geraldine. Countdown is on to opening of £81m research and health hub. 2020-07-01. Eastern Daily Press. 5 February 2018. en.