East Malling has been home to a world-class centre for excellence for applied research and innovation in commercial horticulture for over 100 years. The site has produced some of the finest and most important research on perennial crops, particularly in the areas of fruit plant culture, agronomy, fruit breeding and the biology and control of pests and diseases, resulting in East Malling’s world-wide reputation. 

Having acquired the East Malling Research Station in 2016, the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) established NIAB EMR as a wholly owned subsidiary of NIAB. In recent years, considerable investment in the site has led to the development of a new GreenTech Hub for Advanced Horticulture – comprising a new state-of-the-art research facility, including 2000m2 of specialist greenhouses, 14 modern polytunnels, growth room and cold rooms, along with a Wine Innovation Centre and vineyards. These facilities build upon the existing facilities which include a Water Efficient Technologies (WET) Centre and Rhizolab.