Maximising the impact of the publicly-funded research being conducted at Norwich Research Park is one of the core aims of Anglia Innovation Partnership, the campus management organisation. One of the ways in which we do this is by helping scientists and researchers to translate their ideas for a business into reality.
We have been successful in doing this over the last couple of years thanks to our incubator programme which has seen 17 companies receive practical and intellectual support and advice. In addition, 40 other companies are actively receiving wider enterprise support to aid their development.
Often, when a scientist or researcher has an idea that could be turned into a commercial business, they will have to get to grips quickly with being a CEO. And with that comes many new challenges that they will face such as getting proof of concept for their idea, getting pre-seed and seed funding to finance their development, taking legal advice on protecting their intellectual property (IP), creating a brand for their company, learning how to pitch to investors and joining a community of like-minded entrepreneurs.
Sam Graham, Enterprise Network Manager, Anglia Innovation Partnership, who runs the incubator programme, said, “We have a fantastic opportunity to support people who have made the decision to build a business and help them turn that commitment into something real and sustainable. The founders in our incubator programme already have strong ideas, impressive technology and ambition. Our role is to help them get their businesses off the ground and give them the best possible chance of success.”
“The incubator programme focuses on reducing the practical and structural barriers that early-stage founders face by improving access to suitable workspace and labs, helping them navigate funding opportunities and connecting them with scientific expertise right across the Park to support testing and validation of their business models.”
“A core part of my role is connection; connecting founders to advisers, funders, experienced entrepreneurs, professional services and to each other. Whether it’s access to funding, introductions to investors, getting trusted legal and IP support or simply being part of a community of people on a similar journey, we focus on building an environment so that they’re building their businesses in isolation.”
Sandy Reid, Fund Principal at Mercia Ventures, a leading UK-based venture capital firm, is very enthusiastic and excited by the high quality entrepreneurs in the Norwich Research Park ecosystem. She said, “We’ve been out here talking to lots of start-ups about what’s needed in the region and we’re very excited about what we’ve seen. The first time I visited Norwich Research Park, I realised there is a wealth of opportunity here. We are genuinely excited by its potential.”
Developing a business normally requires some initial funding. Anglia Innovation Partnership is able to grant pre-seed awards of up to £30,000 to companies on campus to kick-start their journeys.
Sam said, “Seeing first-hand the tangible difference early capital can make is very gratifying and is often described by our entrepreneurs as a lifeline and one of the most critical elements of formulating a business.”
Ofir Meir, CEO of Qubertech, one of the current crop of incubator programme companies, said, “Warm introductions by Sam to a variety of venture capital funds have truly been a game changer for us. Not only did they expand our pipeline of potential investors, but they also created new connections and increased the support available to us as we continue to grow.”
The incubator programme runs a number of events throughout the year including ones where external funding bodies attend to speak directly to business founders such as with the Horizon project, the EU’s flagship scientific research scheme with more than £85bn available, which the UK has access to again. It also arranges collaboration events with the likes of Innovate UK and Connected Innovation which strengthen the profile of Norwich Research Park on a national and international level.
Building a community for business founders on campus is a key pillar of Anglia Innovation Partnership’s strategy and the peer-to-peer organised events have proved to be a hit with company founders. Sam has facilitated ‘fireside chats’ with founders such as Rory Hornby of Alora, who are developing a strain of rice that can be grown on the surfaces of the world’s oceans, Ruben Tadmor previously of Supplant, a food biotech business, and Felicity Knowles of TraitSeq, an agri-biotech company, where they open up and share valuable insights into their business journeys.
Last year, the programme also ran 17 masterclasses delivered by experts in their fields, on topics as diverse as pitching to investors, securing IP, managing financial decisions, leadership and media relations.
There are many companies that we are likely to hear more from in 2026 as they progress through the incubator programme, such as:
- QuberTech – a biotech company that aims to revolutionise natural rubber production, delivering sustainable, high-quality and traceable materials for global industries.
- Boone – has developed an app that is designed to help individuals and families better understand the impact of their diets on their health.
- Quadlytics – is developing technology that identifies combinations of bacteriophages, helpful viruses that can be used as alternatives to antibiotics to kill bacteria in humans, animals and in the environment.
Looking forward to what’s to come in 2026, Norwich Research Park is developing a new accelerator programme for companies. Roz Bird, CEO, Anglia Innovation Partnership, said, “We aim to provide access to campus technology platforms, industry links and lots of profile-raising networking and marketing opportunities. Fortunately, we now have companies on campus who have come through our incubator programme and are ready for the next stage, we also hoping to attract start-ups FROM AROUND THE WORLD to join the BioTransitions mission, so it should be a very exciting year for Norwich Research Park.”
