Norwich Research Park hosts Jerome Mayhew MP to outline its credentials for entrepreneurs and investors as a location for high growth businesses.
Anglia Innovation Partnership, the organisation that manages Norwich Research Park, welcomed Jerome Mayhew, MP for Broadland, on Friday 29 October. The purpose of the visit was to share with him the structure it has put in place to develop and promote the Park’s credentials as a location for high growth businesses as it gears up for the next phase of expansion and to provide him with an update on the latest ground-breaking research being conducted across the four world-leading research institutes, the UEA and Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital.
Under new CEO, Roz Bird, Anglia Innovation Partnership launched its Enterprise Strategy in May to create a community eco-system that will support spin-out and spin-in companies at the Park. It includes entrepreneurship schemes, early-stage Explorer Fund and pre-seed funding plus seed funding.
She said, “I am really pleased that Jerome was able to take the time to visit Norwich Research Park to see for himself the enormous potential we have here to be a significant player in the Norfolk and region’s economy. Our growth plans are ambitious but realistic and we have put in place an infrastructure that I know from my previous roles is proven to create the kind of place for businesses to thrive. Against the difficult economic backdrop, we are facing, having such a cluster of world-leading science and research that can be translated into viable businesses is too good an opportunity to miss.
“We still need national Government to recognise the potential we can offer and to provide the support we need to make sure that Norwich Research Park is known the world over as a great place to base a business. I believe that Jerome is now fully armed with the knowledge he needs to be one of our advocates when Westminster talks about destinations for business growth potential.”
Jerome said, “Norwich Research Park is key part of the Norfolk economy and is of significant global importance for the science that is conducted here. It has massive potential to develop its footprint as a site for high growth businesses which in turn will create worthwhile jobs and careers and deliver significant income to the regional economy. I have been impressed by Roz’s ambition for the campus and will make sure that my colleagues in Westminster know about all of the great work that is done here. Norwich Research Park has so many of the key ingredients for success and the key organisations on site have amazing track records and reputations for helping to solve some of society’s key challenges. I look forward to seeing the progress made by the team in delivering their vision.”
Norwich Research Park is already home to 40 companies. A number of them, such as Tropic Biosciences, Colorifix and Leaf Expression Systems, are high growth businesses who have raised significant investment, increased their workforces and are rapidly building their customer bases.
Image: Jerome Mayhew MP and Neil Hall, Director of the Earlham Institute.
