About us
The Institute of Food Research (IFR) is located on the Norwich Research Park which is one of Europe’s largest and most successful single-site concentrations of research and development in the areas of plants; microbes; food, diet & health; the environment; and information systems.
The Norwich Research Park is an important centre for microbiological research in the U.K. See the Micron website for more details.
It is set in a parkland environment just 5 minutes from the City of Norwich.
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| The Institute of Food Research is located on the Norwich Research Park which is set in a parkland environment just 5 minutes from the City of Norwich. |
IFR has a staff of about 300 complemented by many visiting scientists and postgraduate students each year from all parts of the world, who visit IFR for collaborative research and training.
The Norwich Research Park has 6500 staff, over 900 postgraduate research science students and an annual turnover of £260m. Over the last few years £350m has been pumped into developments and a new wave of expansion is underway. A Sportspark with an Olympic size swimming pool opened in 2000 and a £220 million, 1000 bed District Hospital in the Park opened in November 2001.
It is a powerful co-operative of the Institute of Food Research, the University of East Anglia, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust, the John Innes Centre and The Sainsbury Laboratory. Other occupiers include BP, Plant Bioscience Ltd and IP21.
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The Norwich Research Park from the air. |
How to reach us
Norwich can be reached easily by train, car, air or coach from other UK cities. Overseas visitors can travel by air to Norwich airport or by sea to the nearby coastal ports. See below for further transport information.
AIR
Norwich airport has regular direct flights to, and from, a number of major European airports which provide good connections to international flights, for example Norwich to Amsterdam (Schiphol) is approximately 45 minutes flying time. Within the UK, regular flights serve Aberdeen, Belfast, Bradford, Edinburgh, Humberside, Leeds and Teeside.
A taxi from the airport to the Norwich Research Park (NRP) is around £4-5.
BUS
Buses run from the city centre direct to the University of East Anglia. The buses are either full size or mini-buses. There are bus stops along St. Stephens Street (just around the corner from the bus station) and at Castle Meadow where you can take a bus from the city to the University.
NOTE: The University is a 10 minute walk from IFR. This walk is on a quiet road but across open countryside - so it can be cold and wet.
CAR
Norwich is 111miles (155km) from London, 184m (258km) from Manchester and 485m (680km) from Glasgow. The easiest way to reach the NRP is to follow the A47 Southern Bypass until you reach the B1108 turnoff. Follow the B1108 towards Norwich for about 1 mile (1.6km) and take the righthand turn at the sign 'Norwich Research Park'. This is Colney Lane.
The entrance to IFR is on the left.
COACH
The journey by coach from London takes about 3 hours. The coach stops in the main bus station in Norwich. Coaches also run to and from most major UK cities. The easiest way to reach the NRP from the bus station is by taxi or bus.
SEA
The east coast port of Harwich has regular sailings to and from Holland, Belgium and Scandinavia. There is a regular train service to Norwich from the port via Ipswich.
TRAIN
Norwich is 2 hours by train from London Liverpool Street Station. There is an intercity link with the Midlands and the North via Peterborough. All trains arrive at Norwich Thorpe Station. The service from London is approximately hourly, except on Sundays when the service runs every 2 hours. The easiest way to reach the NRP from the station is by taxi or bus.
