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New Technology Strategy Board - Making the future happen
TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY BOARD
Drinkable vaccines to replace painful needles, car bodies which biodegrade at the end of their lives, anti-cancer agents drawn from the sea, greener biofuels and pacemakers with batteries powered by walking are just around the corner.
It sounds futuristic; but it's all research being funded by the Government's new Technology Strategy Board, which this week becomes an independent executive Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), with a key goal of ensuring the UK is out front as a global leader in the development of new technologies to drive economic growth.
The Technology Strategy Board, sponsored by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, will target funding of £190 million this year to support technology and innovation, overseen by a board of highly skilled business people with an eye to spotting the next big thing.
The new body is investing more than £50 million through its November 2006 funding competition, including £44 million for research and development projects to help businesses work together or with academic partners to develop technologies needed for the products and services of the future. Projects include bioscience and healthcare, energy efficiency and low carbon technologies, plastic electronics, and sensors and imaging. Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, John Denham, said:
"The new Technology Strategy Board is strongly business-focused for a reason. It is business people who are best placed to understand the markets, the opportunities and the strengths that Britain can use to develop and apply new technologies and ways to innovate.
"The UK is well known for its cutting edge science, technology and innovation. With many countries now aggressively competing to take the lead, we've got to work to stay in front. We will do this by using our heads, by getting in early to capitalise on new and lucrative markets. "The new board will also focus on technology and innovation to help key societal challenges - such as developing low carbon technologies to fight climate change and tackling the emerging problems of an ageing population."
Graham Spittle, who has chaired the board since 2004, will continue his leadership role and will drive the board to have a greater focus on new areas such as the services sector and the creative industries. Graham Spittle said "the new Technology Strategy Board is an organisation with business very much as its focus. Its staff have been largely recruited from business; its governing Board consists of business people with a wide range of experience; and its activities will be informed by and respond to the needs of business. The creation of the new Technology Strategy Board represents a great opportunity to make a difference for the prosperity of the UK."
Part of the £50 million funding includes £7 million for the Intelligent Transport Systems & Services Innovation Platform, which brings together government, academia and business to develop new solutions for road congestion.
From 2005-2008, £320 million in funding is available to businesses to support research and development in key technology areas. Extra funding also comes from Defra, Regional Development Agencies and Devolved Administrations, and Research Councils
The latest projects funded include work to develop new bacteria-based vaccines which can be taken by mouth; to enable diesel engines to run efficiently on high concentrations of renewable fuels; and to develop medical scanners which use wavelengths to more effectively diagnose and treat cancer.
The Technology Strategy Board will be responsible for Innovation Platforms which bring business and Government closer together to generate innovative solutions to major societal challenges, and 22 sector-specific Knowledge Transfer Networks (KTNs), business-driven collaborations which encourage new technologies and the sharing of information.
Notes to Editors
1. Since 2004 the Government in conjunction with the Technology Strategy Board has supported over 600 projects across 40 technology areas with a combined business and Government investment worth over £900m. For further information see: http://www.dti.gov.uk/innovation/technologystrategy.
2. The Technology Strategy Board will support the Government to develop a UK-wide strategy to deliver funding, policies and strategic objectives for the use of, and investment in, technology and innovation by business. It will look across all sectors of the economy to identify priority areas for investment within a framework established by the Secretary of State. It will also consider barriers to the exploitation of new technologies, and recommend how they can be removed. Responsibility for the overall direction of innovation policy will remain with Ministers.
3. Eleven Board members will guide and govern the new Technology Strategy Board. For further information on the Board members; http://www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=294311&NewsAreaID=2&NavigatedFromDepartment=False
4. The Technology Strategy Board has headquarters in Swindon and when fully established it is expected to have a strength of around 75 staff. The appointment of a new Chief Executive for the Technology Strategy Board is expected to be announced shortly.
Dr David Evans, Director of Technology and Innovation at the DIUS, has been appointed as Interim Chief Executive.
In recent years David Evans has held the roles of acting Director General in DTI Services Group, DTI Director of Finance, and Deputy Chief Executive of the Small Business Service. From 1998 to 2001 he was head of DTI's Central Directorate and from 1992 to 1998 he was head of DTI's Technology and Standard Directorate. Previously he was Chief Scientist at the Department of Energy where he was responsible for the Departments R&D strategy.
5. A senior management team has been appointed to manage the day-to-day operations of the Technology Strategy Board. The team includes the following four directors:
Allyson Reed, Strategy and Communications Director
Allyson Reed is a commercial business leader with a scientific academic background. She was previously Director of Innovation Partnerships at Qinetiq plc and prior to that was Commercial Director of the CCLRC (the Central Council of Laboratories of the Research Councils). She has held senior management roles in a number of international healthcare, engineering and communications businesses. Her experience includes extensive involvement with innovation, policy, investment and early stage startup businesses; she founded the Rainbow Seed Fund and a knowledge transfer company and is CEO of 3CResearch, a company commercialising research in new digital media.
David Way, Director of Operations
Prior to the establishment of the new Technology Strategy Board, David Way was Director of Innovation Platforms and Key Technologies in the Science and Innovation Group, at the Department of Trade and Industry. He joined DTI in 2000 in the role of Director Aerospace & Defence Technologies, before which he worked at the Royal Aerospace Establishment, on a broad range of military and civil air vehicle and propulsion research and assessment. David Way is a chartered engineer and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.
David Bott, Director of Innovation Platforms
David Bott has extensive business experience. His previous roles include leading research into electrically conductive polymers and non-linear optics at the BP Research Centre, running the Strategic Research Group at Courtaulds, and Director of Group Technology for ICI. He has sat on the UK Government's Technology Foresight Panel for Materials and is a past President of the Royal Society of Chemistry's Industry and Technology Forum. With an interest in small, high technology companies he is Chairman of Oxford Biomaterials, a director of Apaclara, and part time CEO of Materials UK. He has worked with the DTI's Innovation team since 2004.
Graham Hutchins, Director of Corporate Services.
Graham Hutchins is a commercial director whose UK and international experience includes roles with FirstPoint Healthcare Ltd, Vodafone and FedEx. He has a track record of effective financial management and control and experience of supporting business improvement activities through major change projects.
Technology Strategy Board
Block B, Floor 1, North Star
House
North Star Avenue, Swindon SN2 1FF
E-mail: enquiries@tsb.gov.uk
http://www.dti.gov.uk/innovation/technologystrategy
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