NIAB is at the centre of innovation in crop science. Established in 1919 to assess the merits of varieties and seed quality, NIAB has grown in size, expanding its cropping and research expertise to the extent that it is now a major international research organisation in plant science, crop evaluation and agronomy.
With expertise in genetics and breeding, varieties and seeds and agronomy, NIAB works on a wide range of crops from cereals and oilseeds to potatoes, ornamentals, nonfood crops and top and soft fruit. We produce new genetic diversity in pre-breeding material for arable crops, as well as plant breeding services for the fruit sector.
NIAB is unique in being an independent science-based research organisation with a very large farmer and industry based membership who help to ensure that research outcomes are transferred into practice. NIAB also runs two incubator centres, Barn4, based in Cambridge and the Eastern AgriTech Innovation Hub near Soham. These provide start-ups and SMEs with facilities and the opportunity to interact directly with NIAB.