Research and Knowledge Hub Reaches Construction Milestone

Local dignitaries, funders and contractors recently gathered at Norwich Research Park to celebrate the ‘topping out’ ceremony of the new Centrum building, a knowledge hub destined to become one of Europe's leading centres for research in food, health and the environment.

 The new £11.5M complex, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and built by Morgan Sindall, is due to open in Spring. It is part of a larger multi-million pound BBSRC investment in the Park to deliver innovation from the research base, new jobs and economic growth.

Steve Visscher, BBSRC's Deputy Chief Executive, said: "As this campus develops, it will continue to bring valuable jobs and further investment to the region. The Centrum building not only offers the opportunity to work alongside world-leading researchers, it will provide excellent facilities, scientific services and business support so that innovation can flourish."

Richard Bacon MP marked the occasion – known as the 'topping out ceremony' – traditionally by pouring a bottle of locally brewed beer onto the roof for good luck.

The recently-relaunched Lacons beer was chosen to highlight the power of bioscience; its reintroduction was only possible after scientists at the Park revived 'sleeping' yeast for the first time in more than 50 years. The yeast was part of the BBSRC-funded National Collection of Yeast Cultures, housed at the Institute of Food Research on the Park.