Established 1992 Location Norfolk, England Field of research Health | Zip code NR4 7UG | |
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Budget £130M annual research spend by partners Field of research Plants, Environment, Food and Health | ||
Norwich Research Park is a business community with world leading science credentials located to south of Norwich, Norfolk, in East Anglia, England, United Kingdom close to the A11 and the A47 roads.
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Set in over 230 hectares of parkland, Norwich Research Park is home to over 12,000 people, including 3,000 researchers and clinicians with an annual research spend of over £130 million.
Norwich Research Park is a partnership between the University of East Anglia, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, four independent world-renowned research institutes, namely the John Innes Centre, the Institute of Food Research, and The Genome Analysis Centre, (all strategically funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BBSRC) and The Sainsbury Laboratory linked to the Gatsby Charitable Foundation.
With a focus on creating and supporting new companies and jobs based on world-leading bioscience, in 2011 the Government awarded BBSRC £26 million to invest in Norwich Research Park to deliver innovation from the research base and generate economic growth and job creation.
Norwich Research Park is a member of the UK Association of Science Parks UKSPA
History
The foundations for Norwich Research Park were laid in the 1960s when major institutions began to converge in the area. Beginning with John Innes Centre in 1967, the then named John Innes Institute relocated to Norwich to work closely with the School of Biological Sciences at the recently established University of East Anglia.
The research park was officially launched in 1992 when it comprised the schools of Biological and Chemical Sciences at the UEA, the John Innes Centre, IFR Norwich, the MAFF's Food Science Laboratory and the British Sugar Technical Centre (formerly British Sugar Research Laboratory). The MAFF laboratory moved to York in 1992. The British Sugar presence at the site since 1968 ended when closed its laboratories in Norwich in 2001.
Today, Norwich Research Park is one of Europe’s leading centres for research in Food, Health and the Environment.
Developments to the Park include the new Centrum building, which was officially opened in July 2014. The landmark building was designed to be at the heart of innovation and enterprise at Norwich Research Park, and won a new building award’ in the South Norfolk Design Awards 2014, in recognition of the contribution of this building towards enhancing the environment. Major investments have also be been made to the infrastructure, which includes IT, car parks, footpaths, lighting, and public highways around the Park.
The Bob Champion Research and Education Building was officially opened in February 2015. A £19 million medical research centre, it is named after the former Grand National winning jockey Bob Champion MBE.
The Enterprise Centre at UEA opened in July 2015. A hub for enterprise, it is Britain's greenest building and one of the most sustainable buildings in Europe.
Leadership
The CEO of Norwich Research Park is Dr Sally Ann Forsyth. Appointed in September 2013, Dr Forsyth has led a number of new developments on site, which has become a central hub for the research and business community. In 2012 key stakeholders in Norwich Research Park created the Norwich Research Partners Limited Liability Partnership (NRP LLP) to help the Park achieve its vision. Its non executive board is chaired by Professor David Richardson, Vice Chancellor - University of East Anglia (UEA) who took over the role from former chair Anthony Habgood who completed his tenure in March 2016. Other board representatives are Mark Davies, CEO Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; David Harvey, Harvey & Co Ltd representing John Innes Foundation; Ian Charles, Director Institute of Food Research; ; Steve Visscher, Deputy CEx & COO for the BBSRC and Sally Ann Forsyth, CEO Norwich Research Park.