Community interest company Eastern Promise has revealed that it will be raising the profile of Norwich within the food industry, as it addresses the potential for the city to be a “global centre” for food science.

As part of Norwich Science Festival, the Norwich Food Science Supercluster project was discussed on Friday 23rd February at the Quadram Institute at Norwich Research Park.

Eastern Promise hosted a number of panel sessions at the Quadram Institute, covering key topics exploring the possibility that Norwich could be a new global centre for food science and research.

Mike Rigby, chief executive of Eastern Promise, said: “If you talk to scientists working in the various institutes on the Norwich Research Park, you quickly learn that Norwich was their first and only choice to follow their chosen field. 

“This is because the research conducted in Norwich is the global best in class. We need to work collectively, across research, industry and local Government to make sure that fact is better known.

“Last week’s event explored Norwich’s formidable assets and asked how we can scale up the food science ecosystem in line with the Fine City’s colossal potential. This includes skills, investment, infrastructure and the encouragement of spin-outs from research activities.

“Above all, Norwich needs to build more and deeper partnerships, and this very much includes embracing the proximity of Cambridge.  The opportunity to build new, exciting collaborations where the two cities’ respective specialisms meet, is immense. 

“I’m incredibly excited to see Norwich begin to realise its full potential as a global centre for food science and research.”