One of the key activities recognised amongst business circles is the need to network and build contacts outside your immediate neighbourhood. That’s why the team from Anglian Innovation Partnership have travelled abroad in recent weeks to attend and participate in some of the key trade shows and conferences where the business of science is showcased.
CEO, Roz Bird, has been particularly active travelling to Kenya. Nairobi in Kenya was the location for the 41st International Association of Science Parks (IASP) World Conference where representatives from science and research campuses across the globe met to discuss the impact changing demographics can have on entrepreneurship and technology and exploring ways to combat the global challenges the world is facing today. IASP is the leading association for innovation ecosystems worldwide. Its mission is to be the global network for science parks and innovation.
Roz said, “It was a wonderful and thought-provoking experience to meet with so many other people working at science parks around the world. Having now seen and heard what is happening at these global innovation clusters, I am more convinced than ever that Norwich Research Park can play a hugely significant role in advancing research and translating it into viable businesses that will deliver the solutions to some of the key challenges in food security, human health and the effects of climate change.
Meanwhile, Chief Operating Officer of Anglia Innovation Partnership, Nick Goodwin, took part in a trade mission organised by Agri-TechE, Andalucía TRADE and the British Embassy in Madrid to visit Almeria. The purpose of the trip was to understand better what the Andalucian region is doing to advance discoveries in agritech.
The trade mission included a tour of TECNOVA Innovation Centre which has facilities for the validation of greenhouse and Controlled Environments technologies and development of post-harvest services and nutritional analysis.
Monika Chhetry, Science Collaboration Manager, attended the World AgriTech Innovation Summit in London in early October which is Europe’s premier event for agritech and agri-food professionals. Delegates explored groundbreaking innovations, regulatory targets and high-level collaborations to help bring about the necessary change to develop nature-positive, resilient agriculture and food systems across the supply chain from ‘farm to fork’ through AI powered sustainable agriculture, regenerative farming and biocontrol solutions.
Farrel O’Keeffe, Marketing Communications Manager, together with Jade Potter, Facilities and Events Associate, boarded the Eurostar for Lille in France where they attended NutrEvent 2024 as part of an East of England group including UEA, Quadram Institute, Tastebuds and Connected Innovation. The event attracted over 600 international delegates and is dedicated to innovation in food, human and animal nutrition. It aims to identify industrial, scientific, commercial and financial partners for R&D projects and innovations. The event had a focus of innovation in food and was well-suited to many of the research themes on the park including nutrition, alternative food products and health.
And later this month, members of the team are heading to Warwick University for the 40th anniversary UK Science Parks Association (UKSPA) Conference and Awards where Norwich Research Park as been shortlisted for the Driving an Interactive Community – Large award. The conference brings together individuals from all of the UK’s science parks to drive innovation in research and to showcase the latest technologies that have been developed to support ground-breaking research.
