John Innes Centre
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The John Innes Centre (JIC), located in
Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
, Norfolk, England, is an independent centre for research and training in
plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...
and microbial science founded in 1910. It is a registered charity (No 223852) grant-aided by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the European Research Council (ERC) and the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was ...
and is a member of the
Norwich Research Park Norwich Research Park is a business community located to the southwest of Norwich, Norfolk, in East Anglia, England close to the A11 road (England), A11 and the A47 road, A47 roads. Set in over 230 hectares of parkland, Norwich Research Park i ...
. In 2017, the John Innes Centre was awarded a gold
Athena SWAN Athena SWAN (Scientific Women's Academic Network) is a quality charter mark framework and accreditation scheme established and managed by the UK Equality Challenge Unit (now part of Advance HE) in 2005 that recognises and celebrates good pract ...
Charter award for equality in the workplace.


History

The John Innes Horticultural Institution was founded in 1910 at
Merton Park Merton Park is a suburb in the London Borough of Merton. It is situated between Colliers Wood, Morden, South Wimbledon and Raynes Park. It is 11 miles (11.7 km) southwest of Charing Cross. The area is part of the historic parish of Merton ...
, Surrey (now
London Borough of Merton The London Borough of Merton () is a borough in Southwest London, England. The borough was formed under the London Government Act 1963 in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton ...
), with funds bequeathed by John Innes, a merchant and philanthropist. The Institution occupied Innes's former estate at Merton Park until 1945 when it moved to
Bayfordbury Bayfordbury, Hertfordshire, is a large Grade II* listed country house with surrounding parkland, and the location of a University of Hertfordshire campus, housing its biology/geography field station and observatory. History of Bayfordbury Bayford ...
, Hertfordshire. It moved to its present site in 1967.John Innes Centre, History.
Retrieved 10 August 2008.
John Innes compost was developed by the institution in the 1930s, who donated the recipe to the "
Dig for Victory Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Germany during World War I ...
" war effort. The John Innes Centre has never sold John Innes compost. During the 1980s, the administration of the John Innes Institute was combined with that of the
Plant Breeding Institute The Plant Breeding Institute was an agricultural research organisation in Cambridge in the United Kingdom between 1912 and 1987. Founding The institute was established in 1912 as part of the School of Agriculture at the University of Cambridge. ...
(formerly at
Trumpington, Cambridgeshire Trumpington is a village and parish to the south of Cambridge, England. The village is an electoral ward of the City of Cambridge and a ward of South Cambridgeshire District Council. The 2011 Census recorded the ward's population as 8,034. Th ...
) and the Nitrogen Fixation Laboratory. In 1994, following the relocation of the operations of other two organisations to the Norwich site, the three were merged as the John Innes Centre. As of 2011 the institute was divided into six departments: Biological Chemistry, Cell & Developmental Biology, Computational & Systems Biology, Crop Genetics, Metabolic Biology and Molecular Microbiology.John Innes Centre, Science Departments.
Retrieved 10 August 2008.
The John Innes Centre has a tradition of training PhD students and post-docs. PhD degrees obtained via the John Innes Centre are awarded by the
University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...
. The John Innes Centre has a contingent of
postdoctoral researcher A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to pu ...
s, many of whom are recruited onto the institute's Post-doctoral Training Fellowship programme. The John Innes Centre also sponsors seminars and lectures, including the
Bateson Lecture The Bateson Lecture is an annual genetics lecture held as a part of the John Innes Symposium since 1972, in honour of the first Director of the John Innes Centre, William Bateson. Past Lecturers SourceJohn Innes Centre * 1951 Sir Ronald Fisher - ...
and the
Biffen Lecture The Biffen Lecture is a lectureship organised by the John Innes Centre The John Innes Centre (JIC), located in Norwich, Norfolk, England, is an independent centre for research and training in plant and microbial science founded in 1910. It ...
.


Research

The research at the John Innes Centre is divided into 4 Institute Strategic Programs (ISPs) funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). These ISPs, which combine the research of multiple groups to address a greater aim, are: *Genes in the Environment - aims to develop a wider and deeper understanding of how the environment influences plant growth and development. *Molecules from Nature - will investigate the vast diversity of chemicals produced by plants and microbes. *Plant Health - aims to understand the molecular dialogue between plants and microbes, establishing how they communicate with each other and how they have evolved in relation to one another. *Designing Future Wheat - a program with other BBSRC institutes
Rothamsted Research Rothamsted Research, previously known as the Rothamsted Experimental Station and then the Institute of Arable Crops Research, is one of the oldest agricultural research institutions in the world, having been founded in 1843. It is located at Harp ...
and National Institute for Agricultural Botany (NIAB) and the
University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public university, public research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. The University of Nottingham belongs t ...
and the
University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...
.


Affiliations

The John Innes Centre co-located with The
Sainsbury Laboratory The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL) is a research institute located at the Norwich Research Park (NRP) in Norwich, Norfolk, England, that carries out fundamental biological research and technology development on aspects of plant disease, plant dis ...
(Norwich),Sainsbury’s laboratory
/ref> an institute focused studying plant disease. The Sainsbury Laboratory is closely affiliated with the
University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...
.University of East Anglia
/ref> Along with the
Institute of Food Research The Quadram Institute is a centre for food and health research, combining Quadram Institute Bioscience (formerly the Institute of Food Research), the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals’  endoscopy centre and aspects of the University ...
Institute of food research
/ref> and
University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...
(UEA), JIC hosted the BA Festival of Science (now the
British Science Festival The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...
) in September 2006. Since 2015 The John Innes centre ,
University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...
(UEA)
Sainsbury Laboratory The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL) is a research institute located at the Norwich Research Park (NRP) in Norwich, Norfolk, England, that carries out fundamental biological research and technology development on aspects of plant disease, plant dis ...
, The Earlham Institute and
Quadram Institute Bioscience The Quadram Institute is a centre for food and health research, combining Quadram Institute Bioscience (formerly the Institute of Food Research), the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals’  endoscopy centre and aspects of the University ...
have run Women of The Future an event aimed at promoting career in science to young women.


Directors

The John Innes Centre has been directed by: *
William Bateson William Bateson (8 August 1861 – 8 February 1926) was an English biologist who was the first person to use the term genetics to describe the study of heredity, and the chief populariser of the ideas of Gregor Mendel following their rediscove ...
(1910-1926) * Sir A Daniel Hall (1926-1939) * CD Darlington (1939-1953) * KS Dodds (1953-1967) * Roy Markham (1967-1980) * Harold Woolhouse (1980-1988) * Richard Flavell (1988-1999) * Chris Lamb (1999-2009) * Dale Sanders (2009–2022) * Graham Moore (2022–present)


Notable staff and alumni

Notable staff and alumni include:


John Innes Foundation

The John Innes Foundation (JIF) is an independent charitable foundation (registered Charity No. 1111527) and was formed in 1910 by John Innes. JIF set up the John Innes Horticultural Institution (JIHI) at Merton, London. Currently, the JIF owns the land and buildings at Newfound Farm, Colney and Church Farm, Bawburgh, Norfolk which are used by researchers from the John Innes Centre. The JIF trustees also play an active part in the management of John Innes Centre research and have the right to appoint three members of the Governing Council. The foundation sponsors several graduate studentships each year, support for educational programmes and the infrastructure of the site. They also fund student awards for scientific excellence and science communication. It also owns a very significant collection of archive material held in the Historical Collections library at the John Innes Centre.


The Special Collection and the History of Genetics Library

The John Innes Centre is home to a collection of rare botanical books, lab books, manuscripts and letters documenting the history of genetics and research carried out by its scientists. This includes a letter from
William Bateson William Bateson (8 August 1861 – 8 February 1926) was an English biologist who was the first person to use the term genetics to describe the study of heredity, and the chief populariser of the ideas of Gregor Mendel following their rediscove ...
documenting the first use of the word "
genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...
". The History of Genetics library also contains the archives of the Genetical Society.


Germplasm Resources Unit

An important part of the John Innes Centre is the John Innes Centre Germplasm Resources Unit (GRU). This seedbank houses a number of germplasm collections, including th
Watkins Landrace Wheat Collection
th
John Innes Centre Pisum Collection
BBSRC Small Grain Cereal Collection,
Crop wild relative A crop wild relative (CWR) is a wild plant closely related to a domesticated plant. It may be a wild ancestor of the domesticated (cultivated) plant or another closely related taxon. Overview The wild relatives of crop plants constitute an i ...
collection and several specialist genetic stocks collections. This material is extensively used by UK and non-UK researchers and breeders, and is an available upon request to research, academic and commercial efforts, subject to availability. The complete list of the material can be found in the GRU database.


References

{{authority control Biological research institutes Botany Genetics in the United Kingdom Organisations based in Norwich Plant breeding Research institutes in Norfolk