The John Innes Centre (JIC) and The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL) are delighted to announce a £5 million investment from The Garfield Weston Foundation. 

Their generous donation supports our Healthy Plants, Healthy People, Healthy Planet (HP3) campaign through the creation of Technology Platform 1 (TP1), a next-generation glasshouse, insectary, and horticultural research facility. 

As a cornerstone of a bigger research infrastructure development at Norwich Research Park, this 4,500 m² state-of-the-art infrastructure will enable scientists to study crop performance under realistic, reproducible conditions. These integrated facilities will allow for plant-insect-microbe studies from molecules to the whole plant, providing a nationally accessible research capability. 

The investment builds on the Foundation’s longstanding partnership with our research institutes and supports the next generation of plant and microbial science, training future leaders and entrepreneurs, catalysing innovation, and enabling research with profound implications for agriculture, human health and environmental sustainability. 

Professor Cristóbal Uauy, Director of the John Innes Centre, said: “We are deeply grateful to the Garfield Weston Foundation for this transformative investment. TP1 will be the beating heart of our institutes, enabling us to grow over a million plants each year, test crops under future climate scenarios, and accelerate discovery across plant and microbial science.”

Professor Nick Talbot FRS, Executive Director of The Sainsbury Laboratory, said: “The Garfield Weston Foundation has for many years played an essential role in turning the HP3 vision into reality. Their long-standing support strengthens the UK’s national research capability, and enables us to bring world leading experts together under one roof to drive the breakthroughs needed to safeguard global food security, improve human health, and protect our planet.”

About The Garfield Weston Foundation

The Garfield Weston Foundation is a family founded grant-maker supporting charities operating in a wide variety of sectors across the UK that make a positive difference within their communities. 

Established by W. Garfield Weston in 1958 through an endowment of shares in the family business – now known as Associated British Foods plc – the Foundation continues to be guided by the Weston Family. The Trustees, each of whom are direct descendants of the founder, play an active, informed role in its work. 

This successful model has ensured that their charitable donations have grown as the businesses have grown, enabling the Foundation to award grants totalling nearly £1.7 billion since its establishment. The most recent financial year 2024-2025 saw the Foundation give away almost £130 million to 2,967 charities. 

Image – CGI image of the John Innes Centre and The Sainsbury Laboratory’s Next Generation Infrastructure. TP1 in the foreground of the image.

Credit: BDP/Secchi Smith