Research Facilities

The institutions of the Norwich Research Park offer a range of state-of-the-art facilities  to enable our scientists to tackle almost any problem in modern biological research.

Bioimaging and Microscopy

Extensive facilities for bioimaging are available at JIC, QIB and UEA. Together these facilities offer a range of light microscopes, confocal microscopes, transmission and scanning electron microscopes, and atomic force microscopy. Latest additions include a new cryo-electron microscope, a Zeiss super-resolution light microscope and an Andor spinning disc confocal microscope

Chris Lamb Training Suite

This facility at JIC provides a resource for integrated training in multidisciplinary biology through a wet laboratory, IT suite/lecture theatre, and discussion/breakout areas including a small garden area. It is used for shorter courses and longer workshops, and also supports other training and staff development activities. The purpose-built suite is named in memory of the late Chris Lamb, a former director of JIC (1999-2009).

Clinical Research Facility

The Clinical Research Facility in the Quadram Institute is home to a host of research studies into a range of health conditions, involving patients and volunteers. The facility, which is run by the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals Trust, brings together researchers and scientists from the hospital, QIB, UEA and across the NRP.

Field trials

Full scale field trials for plant research can be carried out at a 110 hectare farm site situated 4 miles from the NRP.  The site is the location for the purpose-built Dorothea de Winton Field Station  that includes two laboratories, ambient and climate-controlled grain storage, meeting rooms, seed processing and agricultural equipment storage.  In addition, a smaller area is available on the main JIC site that includes a GM trial site.

Genomics

The Earlham Institute (EI) provides expertise and support to NRP scientists utilizing genomics approaches in their research. EI boasts world-class computer and storage infrastructure that allows scientists to undertake some of the most challenging data-intensive research in the fields of genomics and biosciences. EI is the National Capability in Genomics and Single Cell Analysis that provides a dedicated, efficient, high-throughput genomics and single-cell analysis facility and includes the biofoundry, which provide automated DNA assembly to improve the predictability of engineering biology

Glasshouses and Controlled Environment Rooms (CERs)

JIC and UEA offer extensive glasshouse facilities. The glasshouses offer computer-controlled environments that allow precise control of the plant environment; length of day, temperature and ventilation. In addition, both sites have high-specification containment glasshouses for recombinant plants and pathogens, and DEFRA-controlled plant pests. These are complemented by more than seventy CERs that can control many environmental parameters.

Insectary

The JIC Entomology Facility is a specialised service that maintains and studies, a wide range of both indigenous and exotic insect species. It is staffed by a team of entomologists who are trained in breeding, handling and evaluating insects. The Insectary supports diverse studies that span insect-plant interactions, plant pathogen-host-vector complexes, natural enemies of pest species and evaluation of crop protection products.

Metabolomics

JIC Metabolite Service can handle narrow targeted, and broad metabolomic approaches using a single quad GC-MS chromatograph, and several liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC-MS) instruments. They have a Xevo triple quad LC-MS, an ion-trap LC-MS, and access to Orbitrap and Q-ToF insturments capable of identifying, quantifying and providing information about chemical structure of metabolites.

Molecular Structure Analysis

The NRP has excellent facilities for X-ray crystallography , which are used for routine data collection. Specialist diffraction experiments rely on synchrotron X-ray sources, such as Diamond. UEA has high-field 800 and 500 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)  spectrometers for biomolecular studies and high-resolution 500 and 400 MHz NMR spectrometers for structure elucuidation and analyis. JIC has a 600 MHz NMR spectrometer. Facilities for other solution-based analyses are available across the NRP.

Proteomics

The proteomics facilities at NRP are shared between three institutes; JIC, QIB and TSL. We have a range of instruments including an Orbitrap Fusion, a Synapt G2 QToF and a Xevo triple quadrupole. All of these instruments have both nano-flow and standard-flow liquid chromatography systems and provide robust identification of peptides, their modifications and intact proteins. Facilities include 2-D gel electrophoresis and a MALDI ToF.