DEPARTMENT FOR
INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS News Release (059/2008) issued
by COI News Distribution Service. 7 October 2008
Denham announces
new drive for joined up research and outlines vital role for
innovation in meeting future economic, medical and environmental challenges
The fight to tackle infectious diseases was given a boost today
as John Denham announced a multi-million pound programme to join
up the work of businesses, researchers and government.
More than £50 million in Government funding will be made
available over the next five years to encourage researchers to
work together, producing faster diagnostic tests to detect and
identify infections in humans and animals more quickly.
The project - the Detection and Identification of Infectious
Agents (DIIA) Innovation Platform - will be funded through the
Technology Strategy Board (TSB) with up to an additional £5
million coming from the Department of Health. It is hoped that the
research will help reduce the number of deaths and illnesses
caused by infectious diseases and reduce NHS expenditure on
treating such diseases
Speaking at the Innovate 2008 Conference, Mr Denham said:
"The DIIA project will target an area of great human
interest - how we detect and identify infectious diseases more
quickly and effectively. It plays to this country's great
strength in medical research, to our international leadership in
bioscience and pharmaceuticals. It promises benefits to people
using the NHS."
Professor Sally C. Davies, the Department of Health Director
General of R&D, said:
"About 10 per cent of all deaths in the UK are caused by
infectious diseases, while the estimated cost of treatment is £6
billion each year. Also, over a third of all GP consultations in
England are related to infectious diseases.
"Rapid and accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases can
lead to targeted and more efficient treatments, with improved
outcomes. So this initiative meets a real need and is why we are
contributing in a major way to this initiative through the
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) invention for
innovation programme".
Mr Denham used his conference speech to underline the vital role
innovation must play in meeting the major challenges of the future
including the UK's economic growth and stability.
He said:
"It's time to deliver. To identify and implement
ground-breaking and sustainable solutions to the challenges we
face in 21st Century Britain. To develop innovative products and
services that exploit the full talents of our people, grow our
economy and improve our quality of life.
"To persuade Government departments, business and public
services that innovation is not just a better way of working in
more favourable economic times. It's vital for us in more
challenging circumstances too.
"Innovation policy - and the TSB in particular - show how
Government must get the best value for every pound that it spends.
This is at a time when what Government does is even more important
for businesses and for the economy than ever before.
"Innovation is a vital part of how we organise our response
to today's challenges as well as to those of the future.
"Our capacity to innovate will make or break the British
economy and the standard of living of the British people in the
21st Century."
Further funding has also been announced to speed up the
introduction of low carbon vehicles onto Britain's roads.
Total public sector investment now stands at £100 million with
contributions to the programme from the Technology Strategy Board,
Department for Transport, One NorthEast, Advantage West Midlands
and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Underlining the importance of investment and innovation in
safeguarding both the environment and the motor industry in the
future, Mr Denham told the conference:
"This is a great example of collaborative innovation in action.
"This work will help to secure the long-term future of the
British car industry - the people who work in it and the places
whose wider economies hinge on attracting international R&D
and proving their capacity to add value.
"This work will complement the major new pilot programme for
electric cars announced by the PM in the Manufacturing Strategy.
"The Government is determined that UK industry should
achieve a large stake in the emerging green collar sector."
Notes to Editors
1) The Secretary of State gave the keynote speech to the
Technology Strategy Board's Innovate 2008 Conference in
London. A copy of the speech is available at http://www.dius.gov.uk/speeches/
For further information contact Matt Barker on 0203 300 8126
/ matthew.barker@dius.gsi.gov.uk
2) For full details on both the infectious disease innovation
platform and the latest on the work to develop low carbon vehicles
visit; http://www.innovateuk.org/newsevents/news-archive.ashx
or call Nick Sheppard in the TSB press office on 07824 599644.
3) The Technology Strategy Board is a business-led executive
non-departmental public body, established by the government. Its
role is to promote and support research into, and development and
exploitation of, technology and innovation for the benefit of UK
business, in order to increase economic growth and improve the
quality of life. It is sponsored by the Department for Innovation,
Universities and Skills (DIUS). For further information please
visit http://www.innovateuk.org/
4) The Innovation Nation White paper was launched by John Denham
on 13 March 2008. It set out the Government's aim to make the
UK the best place in the world to run an innovative business or
public service. It argues that innovation is essential to the
UK's future prosperity and the ability to tackle major
challenges like climate change. Details can be found at http://nds.coi.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=360206&NewsAreaID=2&NavigatedFromDepartment=False
ENDS