Bioscopic, a company that has emerged from research conducted at the Quadram Institute at Norwich Research Park, has been named as one of the #21towatch awards in Cambridge. The awards recognise the people, companies and ‘things’ they create, across Cambridge and the East of England, that are setting the standards in innovation and entrepreneurship across the world.

The annual #21toWatch awards are one of the most recognised entrepreneurship awards in Cambridge and the East of England, featuring in many publications including Forbes and many investor and startup magazines.

Bioscopic is harnessing the research carried out on the gut microbiome by a team of scientists at the Quadram Institute. They discovered that infant gut bacteria could hold the key to protecting humans from serious diseases and conditions in adulthood and that there could be a way to reintroduce those bacteria into humans by replicating their compounds.

This breakthrough discovery could have significant implications for improving the health of people, specifically against diseases like cancer. The good bacteria found in an infant’s gut feeds off the breast milk it receives from its mother in the early months of its life. This friendly bacteria protects infants in their early stages of life and are associated with increased immunity to a number of conditions including things like asthma, cancer and other inflammatory diseases.

Roz Bird, CEO of Anglia Innovation Partnership, the campus management organisation at Norwich Research Park, said, “It’s fantastic news that Bioscopic has been selected as one of the #21towatch for 2025. We have worked closely with Chris and his team to help them develop their business, so it is very rewarding for them to get this recognition that should help accelerate their path to market.

“The East of England is becoming renowned globally for innovative thinking and ground-breaking research. Initiatives like #21towatch really do help to raise the profile of the discovery work that is being conducted across our region. Bioscopic will act as a role model for the many other emerging companies we have at Norwich Research Park who are looking to have a positive impact on the world we live in whilst also creating new jobs and contributing to the regional economy.”

#21toWatch is run by cofinitive, who collate lists of the people, the companies and the ‘things’ throughout the year and assesses each submission based on innovation, challenge, influence, viability and memorability.