GBP5 Million Funding Package Means World-Class Expansion and New Jobs at Norwich Research Park

NORWICH, England, February 24, 2010 - The Norwich Research Park (NRP) in Norfolk is poised to boost its
world-class reputation as one of the UK's leading centres for scientific
research, with the start of work on a GBP5 million extension to the
innovation and incubation facilities there. The development is the first
stage of a plan to create up to 5,000 new jobs in science and scientific
research at the NRP by 2021.

The new facility will attract start-up and growing businesses from all
over the world involved in science, scientific research and innovation. Over
30 office and laboratory units are being constructed and fitted out in a
totally refurbished and customised 4,215 sq m (43,000 sq ft) three storey
building, located adjacent to the Institute of Food Research on the NRP.

The facility will be the first of a number of new buildings to be erected
at the NRP to accommodate the growing community of world-class scientists,
innovators and entrepreneurs being attracted to Norfolk and the NRP.

The new facilities will be fully operational as early as July 2010.

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the
John Innes Centre (JIC), the Institute of Food Research (IFR) and the
University of East Anglia are involved with the management of the facility,
which will be controlled by a new joint venture company, Colney Innovations
Ltd (CIL).

David Parfrey, BBSRC Director of Finance and director of CIL said:
"Norfolk is a world-class location and this new and exciting development
reflects Norfolk's growing status on the world stage. The office and
laboratory suites will provide unrivalled facilities for new and expanding
research businesses attracted to the cluster of science facilities at the
NRP.

"Within one kilometre of this facility, there are today no fewer than
2,700 research scientists focussed on health, food and environmental
sciences: a unique resource in this country."

Funding for the development is coming from the Greater Norwich
Development Partnership, which will provide GBP1 million, the East of England
Development Agency, which will provide GBP1.4 million, the University of East
Anglia, which will provide a further GBP500,000, and the BBSRC, which will
also provide GBP500,000 of funding, plus the land and buildings to host the
new facilities, with the balance of the funding coming from the NRP partners.

The Norwich Research Park is an international centre for research on
plants, micro-organisms, food, environment, health and ICT. The NRP partners
are the University of East Anglia, JIC, IFR, the Norfolk and Norwich
University Hospital, The Genome Analysis Centre and the Sainsbury Laboratory.

The new offices and laboratories will provide the opportunity to expand
the number of companies setting up at or moving to the Norwich Research Park
and provide follow-on space for existing bio-tech and other science related
companies that need to expand. It will also provide room for further
start-ups.

Press contacts: Peter Treglown, FOUR public relations, peter at fouragency.co.uk T: +44-1603-627294, M: +44-7768-176622