New Data Centre at Norwich Research Park set to bolster UK’s bioscience capability

Backed by a £20 million investment from the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the Norwich Bioscience Institutes (NBI) Data Centre will harness cutting-edge, high-density computing technologies designed to accommodate the future advancements and scaling needs of the Earlham Institute, John Innes Centre, Quadram Institute and The Sainsbury Laboratory.

Once operational, the shared data centre will be managed by the Earlham Institute and NBI Research Computing on behalf of all institutes on the Park.

As well as providing crucial support to the renowned research institutes based at Norwich Research Park and strengthening connections at a local level, the implications for the rest of the UK are also significant.

Serving as a critical national asset for data-intensive research, the world-class e-infrastructure deployed at the new facility will foster greater collaboration right across the UK bioscience research and innovation ecosystem, further securing the UK’s position as a frontrunner on the global stage.

Professor Neil Hall, Director of the Earlham Institute and Chair of the NBI Data Centre Board, said: “Once it's completed, the shared Data Centre will be one of the most powerful High Performance Computing systems for bioscience in the UK.

“Norwich Research Park is home to a number of world-leading research institutes, where talented scientists are using cutting-edge technology to ask important scientific questions. All this research generates huge amounts of data, which - if properly stored and managed - will lead to breakthroughs.

“This development will deliver the computational performance we need to support our science into the future. It’ll provide a cutting-edge, energy-efficient facility to house increasingly powerful High Performance Computing systems.

“The state-of-the-art design will also redistribute waste heat generated by the hardware, which will help to heat other buildings on the site. This should significantly reduce the environmental impact and help to meet wider sustainability targets for the research we carry out.”

Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, BBSRC Executive Chair, said: “BBSRC’s significant investment in the new NBI Data Centre is pivotal in advancing the UK’s bioscience capabilities. It will ensure that our world-class researchers and innovators have access to the high-quality infrastructure needed to maintain our leading role in global scientific inquiry both now and in the future.

“The new facility will enable researchers to perform transformative research that translates into solutions to some of society's most pressing challenges, furthering our mission to drive innovation and sustainability in bioscience.”

With construction anticipated to start early in 2025 and completion expected by early 2026, the NBI Data Centre will then be fitted out to commence supporting the ambitious scientific work carried out across Norwich Research Park and beyond from early 2027.