Work starts on new lab and office building at Norwich Research Park in £200m Vengrove spree

Project GB1 is a 62,000 sq ft laboratory and office building designed to support the growth of companies in the agri-food, health and environment sectors, attracted by the Park’s specialist talent and research facilities. Project GB1 is due for completion in January 2027, ready for tenants’ fit-out.

The development marks the first phase of a ten-year investment partnership between Vengrove and Anglia Innovation Partnership, the campus management organisation for Norwich Research Park, which will deliver a series of new buildings to accommodate growing businesses on campus and attract new and established companies from across the UK and overseas. Vengrove plans to invest more than £200 million over the next decade to realise this vision.

The project is being supported with Enterprise Zone funding from Norfolk County Council and South Norfolk Council.

Norwich Research Park has shaped to offer a compelling environment for innovation in agri-biotech, food biotech, industrial biotech and medtech/healthcare, fostering collaboration and commercialisation on a single integrated campus.

Andrew McLean, Partner and Head of Development at Vengrove, said: “We’re thrilled to begin the first project in Vengrove’s ten-year partnership with Norwich Research Park. With potential to deliver 750,000 sq. ft of world-class accommodation, this collaboration will help unlock economic and social value for the region and support the pioneering science taking place across the campus.”

Roz Bird, CEO of Anglia Innovation Partnership adds: “This is a very important milestone for Norwich Research Park. The new building will meet the needs of a number of successful high-growth companies that benefit from access to our 3,000-strong research community who are working to find new solutions in food production, diet, nutrition and human health, as well as industrial processes.

“It is fantastic to have secured this important partnership with Vengrove, who will be working alongside the Anglia Innovation Partnership team to deliver new accommodation and help develop a thriving ecosystem of science and business activity with the aim of maximising the impact of publicly funded research, creating new jobs that will deliver additional economic growth for UK plc.”

Construction is also progressing on the Park’s Next Generation Infrastructure project for the John Innes Centre (JIC) and The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL), a £317m UKRI-funded initiative that will establish a global hub for plant and microbial research by 2030 and promises to revolutionise both JIC’s and TSL’s existing capacity and capability, ensuring the long-term success of UK bioscience in Norwich.

Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, Executive Chair of the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), said: “BBSRC’s research and innovation campuses play a critical role in translating world-class bioscience into real-world impact, creating environments where discovery and enterprise thrive side-by-side.

“Developments like this one strengthen the UK’s capacity for innovation, helping pioneering researchers and businesses to work together to drive growth, create high-value jobs and deliver bioscience solutions that benefit our economy, our health and our planet.”