United Kingdom
July 17, 2015
Based in Hertfordshire, Rothamsted Research has been at the forefront of crop science for more than 170 years and is the longest running agricultural research station in the world. Whereas previous transformations in agriculture have been sparked by the discovery of a new compound or by building a new machine, this new venture is about changing how people and organisations work together.
The Rothamsted Centre for Research and Enterprise (RoCRE) has been made possible thanks to funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), with additional investment from Rothamsted Research, the Lawes Agricultural Trust and regional growth funding accessed through the Herts Local Enterprise Partnership. So far, it has received £14M of investment, including the newly opened Lawes Open Innovation Hub.
George Freeman, Minister for Life Sciences, welcomes the new development: “This pioneering new hub represents an exciting new stage in Rothamsted’s 170 year history, meaning more innovative ideas from the laboratory are to be spring-boarded into industry and at greater speed. It will very much support our Agri-tech Strategy, developing new approaches to food and farming and will strengthen the UK’s position as a world leader in 21st Century agricultural technology, innovation and sustainability.”
Chris Dunkley, RoCRE chief executive shares the minister’s point of view: “It’s a superb new resource for UK agriculture and will further strengthen Rothamsted Research’s global place at the forefront of developments in agricultural science – one of the government’s eight ‘Great Technologies’.
Opening the new building. From left to right: Chris Dunkley, RoCRE (Chief Executive); Chris Till (Current PhD student representing the future of research); Denise Legg (the longest serving current Rothamsted Research employee – 47 years representing the history of the organisation); Rt Hon Peter Lilley (local MP for Hitchin and Harpenden); Professor Achim Doberman (Director Rothamsted Research). Copyright: RoCRE
“But it’s a real departure from what some might see as the traditional academic approach,” explains Chris. With its bright colours, open-plan spaces and even an internal ‘street’, the Hub is designed to marry Rothamsted’s research capabilities with the vigour of commercial activity – the concept known as ‘open innovation’.
“Academia and commerce have common goals: finding new agricultural techniques and developing technologies in a bid to grow more food, more efficiently, to feed a rising population. It’s our intention that the Hub will allow us to work together more effectively in achieving those goals,” says Chris.
Built with the support of the BBSRC, the Hub boasts extensive laboratory facilities where industry research teams can carry out experimental work. Dr Celia Caulcott, BBSRC Executive Director, Innovation and Skills, says: “By investing in RoCRE BBSRC is ensuring that discoveries in plant science can be translated into benefit for society, such as new products and services that increase sustainability, reduce environmental impact and boost economic growth, as well as helping us meet the challenge of feeding a growing world population sustainably.”
Plant science companies have already started to make the Centre their new headquarters, a recent tenant being Plant Impact, which produces crop enhancement technology – products that support a plant’s natural responses for dealing with stress and disease.
“The Rothamsted Centre for Research and Enterprise is the ideal environment for agricultural science, whether it be academic or commercial,” says John Brubaker, chief executive of Plant Impact. “Our decision to relocate our global head office and research effort to the Harpenden site has been transformational for our business, thanks to new research facilities, office and laboratory space, and – of course – access to Rothamsted Research’s network of the world’s leading scientists in soil science and plant nutrition.”
ENDS
About RoCRE, Rothamsted Centre for Research and Enterprise
The Rothamsted Centre for Research and Enterprise (RoCRE) is an entirely new and unique hub focused on promoting collaboration and innovation by partnering with commercial agricultural technology businesses and opening up the research process. With Rothamsted Research at its heart, RoCRE is a unique global agriscience centre that cultivates linkages, growth and advancement in collaborative R&D.
The centre acts as an international cross-roads for SMEs as well as large agritech and agrichem organisations to co-exist, collaborate and thrive by providing them purpose-built, open innovation and incubation space alongside state-of-the-art conferencing facilities. RoCRE currently has five tenant companies who avail of full business support and events management support provided by RoCRE.
Currently, new incubation and open innovation space measuring 3,500m², has just been completed at RoCRE and is one a number of bioscience and agri-research and innovation campuses that have received government investment via the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). The centre is helping the UK to remain at the forefront of the drive to address food security and global climate change.
About Rothamsted Research
We are the longest running agricultural research station in the world, providing cutting-edge science and innovation for nearly 170 years. Our mission is to deliver the knowledge and new practices to increase crop productivity and quality and to develop environmentally sustainable solutions for food and energy production. Our strength lies in the integrated, multidisciplinary approach to research in plant, insect and soil science.
Rothamsted Research is strategically funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). In 2013-2014 Rothamsted Researched received a total of £32.9M from BBSRC. www.rothamsted.ac.uk
About Lawes Agricultural Trust
Created in 1889 by our founder Sir John Lawes, the Lawes Agricultural Trust (LAT) promotes the advancement of agricultural science through providing support for Rothamsted Research in a number of ways:
- The land and buildings at Rothamsted and at Brooms Barn are owned by the Trust and occupied by Rothamsted free of charges for the time being
- It provides an annual research grant to the Director under a research policy agreed with the Trustee in 1997
- It provides accommodation for over 100 people in differing housing facilities and combinations, for the use of staff, students and visiting workers
- The Trust also makes capital grants from time to time to help complete and to modernise ancillary facilities at Rothamsted often in partnership with BBSRC
The Trust operates Rothamsted International, a subsidiary charity that exists to provide the opportunity for scientists from developing countries, to share their expertise and gain additional experience within the advanced, multi-disciplinary research environment at Rothamsted.
The Trust has in the recent past provided funds to assist the refurbishment of the Rothamsted library (including the provision of an environmentally controlled rare books store) and it has spent £1M on the refurbishment and provision of facilities related to the archive of soil and plant samples which date from the origin of the experiments at Rothamsted. Currently the Trust is working with Rothamsted Research and the BBSRC to take forward the Research and Innovation campus project aimed at creating an agri-tech cluster facilitating and promoting the interactions with industry both in the UK and globally.
- The Rothamsted Centre for Research and Enterprise (RoCRE) focuses on promoting collaboration and innovation, to open up the research process. RoCRE comprises three constituents: The Lawes Innovation Hub (research collaboration); the Daniel Hall Innovation Centre (agri-business incubation), and the Rothamsted Conference Centre (agri-related knowledge exchange)
- Agriscience is one of the UK Government’s eight ‘Great Technologies’: technologies in which the UK is set to be a global leader and backed by a £600M investment to support their development.
Here are four examples where agriscience has already delivered results:
- UK research has reduced by 80% the amount of water required to grow a strawberry
- Food production has become the UK’s single largest manufacturing sector
- 80% of the world’s breeding chickens come from UK-developed genetics
- A UK company has developed LEDs to grow crops in multi-storey rows, tripling yield
About BBSRC
BBSRC invests in world-class bioscience research and training on behalf of the UK public. Our aim is to further scientific knowledge, to promote economic growth, wealth and job creation and to improve quality of life in the UK and beyond.
Funded by Government, and with an annual budget of around £509M in 2014-2015 (£459M on research and capital grants and £50.5M for training and fellowships), we support research and training in universities and strategically funded institutes. BBSRC research and the people we fund are helping society to meet major challenges, including food security, green energy and supporting people to have healthier, longer lives. Our investments underpin important UK economic sectors, such as farming, food, industrial biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.
For more information about BBSRC, our science and our impact see: www.bbsrc.ac.uk.
For more information about BBSRC strategically funded institutes see: www.bbsrc.ac.uk/institutes.
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