Norfolk has the potential, the science, industry and can-do spirit to lead a local economic revival. The Norwich Research Park, with its world class innovation in agricultural, medical and environmental technology, is central to that potential.

Today I attended the turf cutting ceremony for the start of the new Centrum Building at the Norwich Research Park (NRP).

The construction of the new building follows a £26 investment from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. The new building forms a part of a long-term dive to create 5,000 new jobs at the NRP over the next 25 years.

I hope and believes that by 2050 the Norwich Research Park will be globally recognised as a leader in the science of sustainability: producing more from, less and the appliance of life science across the ‘big 3’ sectors of food, medicine and energy.