Meet the Finalists of the 2025 Norwich Research Park Innovation Hothouse Competition

We are delighted to announce the shortlist for the final of the Norwich Research Park Innovation Hothouse competition. The competition offers start-up companies a chance to win a 12-month virtual tenancy on the Norwich Research Park in addition to cash prizes and mentorship support. Each of the eight finalists will have five minutes to present and pitch their business ideas in a Dragon’s Den-style competition at our Enterprise Tuesday event in November. This event is organised in collaboration with the University of East Anglia (UEA) and The Royal Society. After each presentation, both the judging panel and the audience will have the chance to ask questions.

All finalists are either spin-out or start-up companies founded by researchers, scientists, entrepreneurs or students based on the park campus. Previous winners include Opau, Ediform, iBOXiT, KNEE3D, PfBIO, and TraitSeq.

Safir Jamal, a finalist in the 2024 competition, reflected on the experience, saying, “The biggest thing that I took away from the whole thing was the opportunity to get real feedback from the judges, what’s good, what’s lacking and how to improve. It directly impacted how we changed our business plan and our focus, especially around pitching for investment.”

John Farley, winner of the 2024 competition, CEO of  iBOXiT said “Winning the Innovation Hothouse competition at Norwich Research Park last November has been transformative for   iBOXiT. The recognition gave us validation and momentum at a critical time, helping us accelerate the development of both our plant-based antimicrobial spray — which kills harmful bacteria, including listeria, and extends product shelf life — and our plant-based bioform, a sustainable alternative to expanded polystyrene.

Over the past year, the process has made us think differently about how we position our products. It pushed us to refine our narrative, focusing not just on the science but on the impact for customers and the planet. That shift has changed how we pitch: we now speak more confidently about the commercial opportunities and environmental benefits, which has opened doors to partnerships we couldn’t have imagined a year ago.

In short, the competition didn’t just celebrate innovation — it challenged us to build a stronger business around it. The progress we’ve made in the last 12 months simply wouldn’t have happened at the same pace without that platform.”

Roz Bird, CEO at Anglia Innovation Partnership comments on the competition and Enterprise Tuesday events “Our Enterprise Tuesday Showcase events, which we host three times per year, in February, June and November, helps to bring to life the amazing breadth and depth of science, innovation, enterprise, and commercial activity taking place at Norwich Research Park. The feedback, from the audience, is that the events go from strength-to-strength. I remember our first Hothouse Competition, pitching session, in November 2022 – the audience were impressed by the talent on display. Three years on and ‘wow’ another eight exciting start-up companies being supported over the summer to prepare their pitches. The 25th of November is going to be another great showcase event for high-growth companies wanting to call Norwich Research Park their home.”

Here are our 2025 Finalists:

Kate Lucas representing Vertebral Fragility Fractures – A Warning Flag for Osteoporosis

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital

This project will re-audit the identification of vertebral fragility fractures via radiology imaging and progress to looking at which patients are reviewed for bone health evaluation and osteoporosis treatment, if required. This is a quality improvement project which will create real impact for better service delivery for patients in our community, creating stronger links with Primary care and cost benefit to the NHS.

Hannah Morelli representing Quadlytics

Quadram Institute Bioscience

Bacteriophages, commonly called phages, are helpful viruses that can be used as alternatives to antibiotics to kill bacteria in humans, animals and in the environment. Quadlytics’ patent-pending technology identifies combinations of phage that work better together to produce efficient phage-based antimicrobials for numerous applications. This technology has the potential to transform the use of phages in human and animal health, and in agriculture, and contribute to the effort in eradicating antimicrobial resistant bacteria by using phage cocktails as alternatives to traditional antimicrobials.

Rudy Maor representing BeanTastic Hummus (brand trade name of Sunrise Bio Ltd)

Norwich Research Park based business

BeanTastic Hummus offers clean label, tasty and nutritious hummus made in Norfolk. The company is developing ‘MenoTastic Hummus,’ a functional hummus dip formulated with evidence-backed ingredients to support women’s health and potentially reduce menopause symptoms.

Rosa Legeno-Bell representing WeAreHistoryHub

University of East Anglia

WeAreHistoryHub is a bold new innovative education platform transforming how history is taught in UK schools. Founded by historian and curriculum consultant Rosa Legeno Bell, the project offers inclusive support to teachers with ready-to-use, academically rigorous schemes of learning that align with national standards while actively decolonising the curriculum.

Dannielle Cox-Pridmore representing RhosynBio — safer surface technology

University of East Anglia / Quadram Institute / Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital

RhosynBio is pioneering a novel antimicrobial surface modification designed to prevent biofilm formation, a persistent problem across industries such as healthcare, food safety and water systems. Their surface technology stops bacteria from attaching and growing on surfaces. Unlike conventional methods that rely on cleaning agents or antibiotics, RhosynBio offers a passive, long-lasting and environmentally friendly defence against harmful microbes.

Joshua Williams representing Agseer

John Innes Centre

Agseer is developing image datasets and AI computer vision models that can be used by autonomous robots to understand mixed-species agricultural environments. Agseer’s innovative approach to image generation involves populating digitally simulated fields with 3D models of real plants. This method avoids model biases common to synthetic image generation. It also allows Agseer to develop training datasets that have diversity far exceeding that of real fields.

Frank Walker representing Frthst

University of East Anglia

“Urgh” is a functional assistive AI tool designed to remove language barriers for individuals with dyslexia. This tool uses a camera-first approach, allowing users to instantly capture text from any source. This text is processed by a sophisticated Generative AI engine that gives users control over the output. It simplifies complex sentences, rephrases metaphors, and converts the text to one of five reading levels. The result is presented in a dyslexia-friendly interface with adjustable font, size, and contrast.

Yan Fen Lee representing Zyvex® Antimicrobial

Norwich Research Park based business

Zyvex® antimicrobial is a breakthrough in food safety. Created entirely from Food Standards Agency (FSA)-approved materials, it is 100% organic, completely food-safe and edible, yet it significantly reduces the presence of all FSA-listed food-borne bacteria including Listeria. Zyvex® is safe, environmentally friendly and carbon negative.

For more information on our November event, and to register your interest in attending on the 25th November, please see our dedicated event page: Enterprise Tuesday November 2025 – Norwich Research Park