John Innes Centre – Written evidence (LSI0089)

1. The John Innes Centre is an independent, international centre of excellence in plant science and microbiology based on the Norwich Research Park. Research at the John Innes Centre makes use of a wide range of disciplines in the biological and chemical sciences, including microbiology, cell biology, biochemistry, chemistry, genetics, genomics, molecular biology, computational and mathematical biology. The majority of John Innes Centre funding is won in open competition from funding agencies worldwide.

2. In 2010, the John Innes Centre was ranked by Thomson Reuters[1] as the top research performer globally in the plant or animal sciences as measured by publication impact.

Response

Industrial Strategy

3. The John Innes Centre welcomed the Government’s “Building our Industrial Strategy” Green Paper and was delighted that the Science Minister, Jo Johnson MP, chose a John Innes Centre spin-out company as the venue for part of the launch of that Green Paper.

4. The John Innes Centre also welcomes the level of consultation on the Green Paper and on the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund by Government and the UK’s Research Councils.

5. We believe that the potential to identify market failures and intervene incisively to correct those market failures is great. In the area of science, the strength of the UK research base and our world-class research councils provide an excellent instrument of government intervention. In this context, we believe that strategic intervention by government is wholly consistent with the Haldane Principle.

6. The John Innes Centre will continue to engage with BEIS and with RCUK to contribute to the future success of the Industrial Strategy. However, to optimise our engagement, we would welcome greater clarity on the overall governance, structure and timetable for the Strategy, its separate sectors and associated funding streams.

The Life Sciences sector

7. The John Innes Centre welcomes the recent report from the life-sciences sector to Government and, in particular, its recognition of synthetic biology as an area where UK expertise might present a considerable industrial opportunity for the future.

8. However, we believe that the relatively narrow definition of “life sciences” adopted by the authors is indicative of a potential risk to the success of the Industrial Strategy. That is the introduction of artificial boundaries between industrial sectors. For example, at the John Innes Centre, we have plans to: (i) work with a major US defence contractor to advance in-field phenotyping to improve agricultural productivity and (ii) work with the pharmaceutical industry to develop plant-based vaccine production systems. Both of these examples point to the potential for success at the interface between sectors.

UK withdrawal from the European Union

9. The John Innes Centre is a UK institute with an international composition, international outlook and international impact. More than 40% of our staff are from overseas, with half of that number being EU27 nationals. We believe that the success of the Industrial Strategy will depend on the UK continuing to attract and retain the “brightest and best” life scientists.

10. For the John Innes Centre, the regulatory framework surrounding the genetic modification of food crops has a direct impact on our research and on the potential translation of our research for societal benefit. This is one area where UK legislation will need to be reviewed as part of leaving the European Union. It is an area where scientific advice to inform new legislation is important. It is also an area where public engagement is crucial.

15 September 2017