John Innes Centre's impact

Recent speculation in the press has linked the John Innes Centre at Norwich Research Park in Colney near Norwich with the trials of GM potatoes. However, the JIC has recently released a calculation of its economic impact (click here for the report). According to these figures the JIC generates over £80 million of revenues and a gross value added of c. £40 million, and is responsible for nearly 1000 jobs.

The calculation of final impacts for JIC is exemplified by work in several areas. In wheat production the JIC has helped to increase UK wheat production by £75 million per annum. Its contribution to world wheat production is estimated at £3.4 billion. JIC’s work with genetically resistant cultivars and fungicide treatments supports global cereal production. JIC’s work to mitigate major losses in world wheat production could potentially be as much as £4.3 billion per annum. JIC’s gene mapping is helping to address world hunger, and can be seen as leveraging World Bank funding of $5.2 million (£2.6 million) per annum into organisations such as IRRI (in the Philippines) and CIYMMT (in Mexico

JIC’s work underpins the £38 million annual UK pea market, with directly attributable sales of £2.9 million per annum. “Super-Broccoli” research is adding value to consumers in the UK of £0.5 million per annum, and may also contribute to reduced incidence of colon cancer.

JIC discovered the genetic basis of antibiotic properties by Streptomyces, a global market now worth $35 billion per annum. A JIC spin-out company (Novacta Biosystems) has recently received a £3 million Wellcome Trust grant to work on solutions to Clostridium difficile and MRSA. If successful, this work could add £194 million to the UK economy through prevention of avoidable deaths. A new spin-out company (Procarta Biosystems) is developing a completely new approach to overcome antibiotic resistance that could have broad application.