IT Jan 2008 - Industrial Technology Magazine

INDUSTRY NEWS
www.industrialtechnology.co.uk
UK set to become a beacon
for innovation and technology
Iain Gray, the new head of the Technology Strategy Board, has
set out his vision for the future of the UK, and backed this up
with news of multi-million pound investments in innovation and
technology centres, and in research and development projects
Giving his first speech since becoming Chief
Executive of the Technology Strategy Board last
November, Iain Gray said that his role would
be to “live and breath innovation”. Explaining
that he had a passion for
innovation, and that innovation
had been part of his whole life,
he said that he would like the
Technology Strategy Board to
create a “groundswell in the UK –
for innovation to be part of every
community and business up and
down the country.”
Gray gave credit to the
Government for setting up the
Technology Strategy Board as a
new model for managing
innovation, adding that he would
“bring some of the rigours of business to the Technology
Strategy Board, efficiencies that focus on delivery,
performance and outcomes.”
Gray said that his prime task for his first 90 days as
Chief Executive was to “align the Technology Strategy
Board team to drive our ambitious agenda.” Describing
the range of work carried out by the Technology Strategy
Board as “hugely exciting”, he acknowledged that his
learning curve would be steep and that “the changes you
want, that we all want, won’t happen overnight.”
However, in conclusion, Iain Gray said that the
Technology Strategy Board was going to “make a
difference to the innovation landscape of this country – a
real difference.”
Giving weight to his words, the Technology Strategy
Board, along with The Engineering and Physical Sciences
Research Council (EPSRC) and Biotechnology and
Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) are
seeking bids from leading universities who wish to host
two new Innovation and Knowledge Centres (IKCs). The
IKCs will promote the early commercialisation of world
class research, by combining within a single integrated
centre the best research with the best business
development, market analysis and commercialisation
skills and partnerships to accelerate its exploitation.
The two new Innovation and Knowledge Centres will
each receive financial support of about £9.5 million,
spread over five years. The EPSRC (together with the
BBSRC where appropriate) and Technology Strategy
Board will contribute £7 million and £2.5 million
respectively, with further funding coming from
universities, industry and other sponsors.
Universities have been invited to express an interest in
hosting one of the centres. After a thorough assessment
and selection process it is anticipated the new centres
will be announced in September 2008.
Exploiting emerging research
EPSRC’s Chief Executive, Professor David Delpy, said:
“We are delighted that the Technology Strategy Board is
to join with us to help establish these two vital new
centres. The prime goal of IKCs is to accelerate and
promote business exploitation of an emerging research
and technology field. The centres will combine world
class research with the skills and partnerships to
accelerate commercial exploitation.”
Commenting on the decision to fund the new centres,
the Iain Gray added: “This is an excellent example of how
the Technology Strategy Board and the Research Councils
can work together for the benefit of UK society and
business. Exploiting emerging technologies is key to the
UK increasing future global competitiveness. The
Technology Strategy Board’s involvement in these new
centres will help to provide the critical commercial skills
and support needed to realise the potential of exciting new
emerging technologies coming through from research."
Only leading edge research groups, who have
identified emerging technologies and who have the
scientific strength to ensure these can be developed into
major commercial opportunities, will be successful. The
IKCs will provide support for five years of intensive early
stage development and commercialisation, which will
bring technologies close to market.
This latest news comes hot on the heels of an
announcement from the Technology Strategy Board of a
£12 million investment into materials technologies
research and development. The Technology Strategy
Board and the EPSRC have allocated the money to fund
highly innovative industry-led collaborative research and
development projects that will enable the UK to rapidly
meet the urgent and difficult challenges posed within the
global energy sector.
The investment will support the research and
development of materials technologies that offer either
specific or generic solutions to problems within the
sector. The focus of the projects will be on the
development of technologies and materials for energy
generation (including fossil fuel, nuclear and renewables),
energy transmission and distribution (including electrical
and liquid gas), energy storage and energy conservation
(with a focus on improved insulation materials in the built
environment).
The Technology Strategy Board is to invest £10 million
into the projects, with a further £2 million from the
EPSRC. Together, they will provide partial investment in
winning projects that address one or more of these areas,
and which involve businesses working collaboratively with
other businesses and/or with research organisations and
academic institutions. The projects, which can last for two
to three years, can range from small, highly focussed basic
research projects, aimed at establishing technical
feasibility, through to applied research and
experimental development projects.
david.b@atlas.co.uk
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INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY • January 2008