Health and Nutrition Centre to Concentrate Research and Commercial Development

A world-leading new centre for food and health research  is planned for the Norwich Research Park. Funding partners include the Institute of Food Research (IFR), the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH), the University of East Anglia (UEA), and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).  Researchers from IFR, UEA and NNUH will be brought together in the proposed new building, alongside partners from the John Innes Centre and The Genome Analysis Centre to uniquely integrate multidisciplinary bioscience and clinical expertise.

The ambition of the Centre is to deliver a step change for Food and Health research and the translation of science into innovative healthy food products and therapies to benefit society and the UK economy. The output of the new Centre will lead to improved human health, the production of nutritionally enhanced crop-based food and accelerate commercial development by UK industry.

Prof David Boxer, Chief Executive of the Institute of Food Research, said: “We are just at the beginning of this exciting new development and whilst we do not have all of the answers yet to all of the questions such as funding, scale, governance, design of the new building and so on, we will be working together over the coming months with the common aim of creating a hugely valuable research asset.

“It will help us to work with more volunteers for food and clinical trials, and will attract food, pharma and fast-moving consumer goods companies that need to acquire understanding and evidence of the effects of products on gastrointestinal process.”

More detailed plans for the centre will now be developed over the next 12-18 months, including the appointment of architects and contractors.  The partners in the centre are committed to developing the concept and investing in the building.  BBSRC will work with the partners to seek the necessary capital funding.