Groundbreaking ceremony names new building at Norwich Research Park

The new GB1 building under construction at Norwich Research Park, designed to house high growth companies, has been named 'Hawkmoth Building' in a groundbreaking ceremony. The building has been under construction since September 2025 and is being funded by Norwich Research Park's real estate investment manager partner Vengrove, Norfolk County Council and South Norfolk Council. 

When finished it will provide 63,000 sq. ft of laboratory and office accommodation designed to support growing companies in the agri-food, health and environment sectors, attracted by the Park's specialist talent and research facilities.

It is due for completion in January 2027, ready for tenant fit-out, and has already gained recognition being highly commended in the Future Project of the Year 2025 category at the East of England Property Awards. 

Hawkmoth Building marks the first phase of a ten-year investment partnership between Vengrove and Anglia Innovation Partnership, the campus management organisation for Norwich Research Park, which will deliver a series of new buildings to accommodate growing businesses on campus and attract new and established companies from across the UK and overseas. Vengrove plans to invest more than £200m over the next decade to achieve this. 

The naming theme for this and subsequent buildings through this partnership is 'pollinators'. Pollinators facilitate growth, enable reproduction, create networks of interdependence and are also agents of change and growth - all values that the buildings aim to deliver. As a pollinator, Hawkmoths are powerful, swift and represent agility, precision and endurance, qualities that reflect the businesses the building aims to support.

Ben Goldsborough, MP for South Norfolk, the constituency in which Norwich Research Park sits, attended the ceremony on Wednesday 25 February and said: "Science and innovation are at the heart of everything South Norfolk does. It was a huge honour to break ground today on the Hawkmoth Building and I will continue to bang the drum for the amazing research that is being undertaken by South Norfolk's scientists. 

"I know the Government is determined to put rocket boosters underneath our research and development sector. The expansion of the Norwich Research Park shows that the global scientific community have confidence in this ambition."

Chris Starkie, Director of Strategy, Growth and Innovation at Norfolk County Council said: "Norwich Research Park is critical to the growth of Norfolk's economy, providing new jobs and opportunities for our residents. That's why the council is pleased to be investing in the Hawkmoth Building as part of a wider package of infrastructure support to help the Park reach its potential."

Daniel Elmer, Leader of South Norfolk Council said: "South Norfolk Council has a long history of investing in Norwich Research Park, enabling essential infrastructure and opening up opportunities for growth. Norwich Research Park is a world-renowned facility that plays a vital role in some of our region's most important sectors and our investment of £2m in the Hawkmoth Building is the council's largest ever in a third-party project.  

"The council is proud to be supporting such an exciting building that will help attract further investment and high value jobs into our district and the wider area." 

Roz Bird, CEO of Anglia Innovation Partnership, the campus management organisation for Norwich Research Park said, "The construction of the new Hawkmoth Building is an important milestone for Norwich Research Park. It will enable successful companies working in agri-food, health, nutrition and the environment to stay and grow at the campus. We are very good at attracting and nurturing start-ups and we will now be able to support these businesses as they succeed and grow. This will ensure that we maximise the economic impact of the publicly funded research we receive and continue to make a significant contribution to the local economy." 

Jonathan Barnard, Head of Development and Asset Management, Anglia Innovation Partnership said, "The Hawkmoth Building will provide a range of lab and office suites from 3,250 sq. ft to 19,000 sq. ft, per floor, available to let. The building is aimed at growing companies and the design is flexible to allow for a company's bespoke fit-out. With 100,000 sq. ft of start-up space already under management, which is 90% let, the Hawkmoth Building represents an important next step for the campus. It means that companies will be able to stay and grow here at Norwich Research Park when they outgrow the start-up space." 

With a unique concentration of world-class research institutes and expertise, Norwich Research Park offers a compelling environment for innovation in agri-biotech, food biotech, industrial biotech and medtech/healthcare, fostering collaboration and commercialisation on a single integrated campus.