On 30 January, a high-level delegation from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) visited Norwich Research Park, to see the cutting edge research and innovation in Engineering Biology that is being conducted on campus.

The team, led by Dr. Isabel Webb, Deputy Director for Technology Strategy and Security, visited Norwich Research Park’s BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) research institutes – the Quadram Institute, Earlham Institute and John Innes Centre.

Hosted by Roz Bird, CEO of Anglia Innovation Partnership, the campus management company for Norwich Research Park, the delegation initially met with the directors of the research institutes for a strategic discussion. Roz highlighted the opportunity for the campus to participate in, and where appropriate lead, transformative programmes of work that she termed ‘bio-transitions’.

This term describes the work being undertaken by the large cluster of microbiologists, based on campus, where they are making new discoveries to tackle climate change, food security and the health of the nation. This ‘bio-transitions’ work, to create new innovations, will ultimately support the Government’s growth agenda by creating new high-value jobs and improve productivity.

The department’s team were given a detailed presentation and tour of the Earlham Institute’s technologies, where they met Director of the Earlham Institute, Neil Hall, and the Head of Plant Genomics Anthony Hall. The DSIT team was particularly interested in the use of the BioFoundry and its advanced capabilities.

A networking lunch was held where they were introduced to many of the entrepreneurs who have set up successful companies at Norwich Research Park including Colorifix, Tropic, Alora and Inspiralis.

Lunch was followed by a series of presentations from the John Innes Centre, including a progress update on the Next Generation Infrastructure (NGI) project, the work of the Insectary and the work of Professor Anne Osbourn’s lab on plant natural product biosynthesis.

Next was a visit to the Quadram Institute where they were hosted by Dr Patricia Hart who explained the ground-breaking research being undertaken which included several aspects of engineering biology, from environmental applications to human health and plant biotechnology.

The DSIT visitors were introduced to PhD student Brenda Mionki who talked about her research into how gene-edited tomatoes could provide a new way of supplementing vitamin D for individuals lacking this important vitamin and Dr Rokas Juodeikis, a Quadram Institute Bioscience Fellow, who is developing novel strategies to improve health and address nutrient deficiencies using bacterial extracellular vesicle (BEV) engineering. The visit to the Quadram Institute was concluded by a discussion with Prof Mark Webber and his team around their use of functional genomics in Engineering Biology.

At the conclusion of the visit, Roz said, “This was a great opportunity to showcase the ways in which Norwich Research Park is leading the Engineering Biology scene in the UK, in terms of the critical mass of activity, the diverse range of work, the deep-tech nature of the curiosity-driven science and applied science, and the way in which the campus is supporting new spin-outs and industry partners to maximise the impact of publicly-funded research which is creating jobs and generating growth for the economy.

“With further support from our partners, in government, we will be able to create growth in the economy through ‘bio-transitions’ workstreams which involve all areas of industry and society and which will help mitigate the impact of climate change, ensure food is nutritious and that people stay healthier for longer.”

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