£5m expansion at Norwich Research Park

Norwich Research Park (NRP) has announced £5m expansion plans to create more facilities for scientific researchers, with 5,000 new jobs also anticipated by 2021. The expansion is intended to boost its world-class reputation as one of the UK's leading centres for scientific research. The first stage of the expansion of the innovation and incubation facilities will be completed by July this year.

The new facility will attract start-up and growing businesses from all over the world involved in science, scientific research and innovation. Over 30 office and laboratory units are being constructed and fitted out in a totally refurbished and customised 4,215sq m, three-storey building.

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the John Innes Centre (JIC), the Institute of Food Research (IFR) and the University of East Anglia are involved with the management of the facility, which will be controlled by a new joint venture company, Colney Innovations Ltd (CIL).

David Parfrey, BBSRC Director of Finance and director of CIL, said: "Norfolk is a world-class location and this new and exciting development reflects Norfolk's growing status on the world stage. The office and laboratory suites will provide unrivalled facilities for new and expanding research businesses attracted to the cluster of science facilities at the NRP.

"Within one kilometre of this facility, there are today no fewer than 2,700 research scientists focussed on health, food and environmental sciences: a unique resource in this country."

Funding for the development is coming from the Greater Norwich Development Partnership, which will provide £1m, the East of England Development Agency, which will provide £1.4m, the University of East Anglia, which will provide a further £500,000, and the BBSRC, which will also provide £500,000 of funding, plus the land and buildings to host the new facilities, with the balance of the funding coming from the NRP partners.