5M funding partnership to bring new innovation and economic benefit to UK
A 5M development at the Norwich Research Park (NRP), funded by a partnership including the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) will provide facilities for start-up and growing businesses that will turn world-class science into products and technologies. This new development, announced today (26 January 2010), will bring new innovation and a boost to local and national economies. Over 30 office and laboratory units will be created in a totally refurbished and customised building housing up to 300 new staff. The main contractors have been appointed to carry out the work and the new facilities will be fully operational as early as July 2010.
BBSRC will provide 500,000 as well as the land and buildings to host the new facilities, with 1.4M coming from the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), 1M from the Greater Norwich Development Partnership (GNDP), 500,000 from NRP partner the University of East Anglia (UEA), and the remainder from other NRP partners.
BBSRC, the Institute of Food Research (IFR), the John Innes Centre (JIC) and the University of East Anglia (UEA) are involved with the management of the facility, which will be controlled by new joint venture company Colney Innovations Ltd (CIL).
David Parfrey, BBSRC Director of Finance and director of CIL said: "The office and laboratory suites will provide unrivalled facilities for new and expanding research businesses attracted to the cluster of science facilities at the Norwich Research Park. The research carried out by the two thousand scientists already working at the Park is world-class and it makes absolute sense to create a facility on this site where the results of such research can be taken through to applications."
Prof Douglas Kell, Chief Executive of BBSRC, said: "The Norwich Research Park is home to three world-class BBSRC institutes: the John Innes Centre, the Institute of Food Research and The Genome Analysis Centre. This new facility will play a key role in helping our scientists, and others, to translate their excellent science into products, services, advice and jobs to benefit the economy and people of the UK. BBSRC is proud to be a partner in this venture."
