‘Superbroccoli’ goes on sale
A heart disease and cancer-fighting ”superbroccoli” developed by scientists in south Norwich has gone on sale in supermarkets.
It’s just one example of the how money can be made from the labs at Norwich Research Park, where they want to generate over 5000 jobs.
A team at the Institute of Food Research(IFR) and John Innes Centre (JIC) in Norwich say the new strain called Beneforte, looks like normal broccoli, but contains three times as much of a health-boosting nutrient which can help protect against heart disease and cancers.
It’s now on sale in supermarkets, cited as an example of innovative science, which the Director of JIC, Professor Dale Sanders said is: “Great for health and great for the British economy.”
Another example given at a talk last night was Anglia DNA, who’ve seen demand for their new product, a home paternity testing kit available from Boots, shoot up. Their work is so lucrative, their managing director, Dr Thomas Haizel, admitted their lab would be unlikely to pursue the current forensic science opportunities: “the margins for police work are far lower.”
It’s this kind of innovation that the government wants to see replicated across the research park.
In March, the government announced it was awarding £26 M to the NRP, which already has over 30 businesses located on site. Last night, NRP bosses outlined the task ahead to prepare the park for expansion. Dr Matthew Hills, Head of Operations said: “It’s all about making the park ready for private investors.” The objective is to stimulate 5000 new jobs over the next 10-15 years: “adding value to Norwich.”
A master plan is being drawn up which will be put to South Norfolk Council before the end of the year, which tackles some of the issues such as roads, junctions and utilities. They conceded work needs to be done on the image of both Norwich and the NRP to make them attractive to potential investors.
According to Professor Sanders, the scientists at NRP are world-class (4th in the UK for the ‘most cited scientists’ behind London and Oxbridge), as are the opportunities: “Our mission is to enable science and business to address the global challenges of food and energy security, life-long health and well-being and the adaptation to environmental change.”
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