The John Innes Centre (JIC) and The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL) have announced a £5 million investment from the Garfield Weston Foundation, directed toward the creation of Technology Platform 1 (TP1), a new glasshouse, insectary, and horticultural research facility at Norwich Research Park.
© The Sainsbury Laboratory
The 4,500 m² facility forms part of the institute's Healthy Plants, Healthy People, Healthy Planet (HP3) campaign and a broader research infrastructure development at Norwich Research Park. Scientists will use the facility to study crop performance under controlled, reproducible conditions, with integrated infrastructure designed to support plant-insect-microbe research from molecular to whole-plant level. The facility is intended to provide nationally accessible research capability.
The donation extends the Foundation's existing partnership with both institutes, with the investment directed at supporting plant and microbial science, training researchers, and developing applications relevant to agriculture, human health, and environmental sustainability.
© The Sainsbury Laboratory
"We are deeply grateful to the Garfield Weston Foundation for this transformative investment. TP1 will be the beating heart of our institutes, enabling us to grow over a million plants each year, test crops under future climate scenarios, and accelerate discovery across plant and microbial science," says Cristóbal Uauy, Director of the John Innes Centre.
"The Garfield Weston Foundation has, for many years, played an essential role in turning the HP3 vision into reality. Their long-standing support strengthens the UK's national research capability, and enables us to bring world-leading experts together under one roof to drive the breakthroughs needed to safeguard global food security, improve human health, and protect our planet," says Nick Talbot FRS, Executive Director of The Sainsbury Laboratory.
Source: The Sainsbury Laboratory
John Innes Centre and Sainsbury Laboratory receive £5m for new glasshouse and research facility
