The University of Warwick is to close its 120-acre research site in Kirton, Lincolnshire, which is operated as part of Warwick HRI.
The site is losing £280,000 a year, with an overall loss of more than £1 million over the last four years.
The 10 staff on the site have worked hard to provide high quality research support and knowledge transfer programmes, in particular for plant-related work in the growing and retail sector. A statement from the university read: “The commercial and public research funding support for the site has been consistently and significantly below its operating costs. The site is currently losing £280,000 a year - an overall loss of more than a million pounds over the last four years of the site’s operation.”
It is expected that operations on the site will continue until early 2009, while The University of Warwick explores options for the future use of the site in consultation with other research providers, interested industrial organisations and its funding bodies.
The University of Warwick has made clear its continuing support for its Warwick HRI research teams on its site in Wellesbourne, in Warwickshire.
The University of Warwick’s vice-chancellor, Professor Nigel Thrift, noted how quickly and effectively the research teams at Wellesbourne have formed highly effective partnerships with a range of university departments.
This has allowed the Wellesbourne research teams to bring together a package of multidisciplinary expertise to research and help solve major challenges in areas such as crop science, bioenergy, systems biology and climate change.
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