Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) visits Norwich Research Park
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 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.”