‘Super-talents’ mean business

The announcement in May that the UK Government is to work with privatised defence firm Qinetiq on a £12 million project to develop cyber-security solutions demonstrated two things about UK research and development (R&D).

First, that business, rather than government, drives demand: UK majors Aviva, BP and British Airways consulted with Qinetiq on the project.

Second, the UK R&D sector will deliver on the project, illustrating that the UK has a ready, skilled and world-class pool of talent to supply it.

The weight of local expertise helps explain why companies including Amgen, Microsoft and AstraZeneca have set up R&D facilities in the UK.

World leader

In some sectors, notably biotechnology, the UK is a clear global leader.

For example, the UK is responsible for as many new pharmaceutical products as the rest of Europe, and more than any other single country outside the USA.

UK-based pharmaceutical companies reinvest 30 per cent of their sales in UK R&D, according to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).

From lab to bottom line

What’s driving this innovation is a focus on the route from lab to market.

The UK’s tech and biotech sectors combine scientific smarts with entrepreneurial skill.

The Cambridge-MIT institute, a joint venture between the University of Cambridge and MIT, for instance, runs postgraduate programmes at the University of Cambridge that combine science with business management.

The scientists, including bioscientists, engineers, nanotechnologists and sustainable development specialists, work with companies of all sizes as part of the programme.

“We’re bridging the gaps between science and business,” says Judy Swan, who runs the programme.

“Scientists have come out of their silos and understand what happens to the technology; it’s about the innovation flow from R&D to the market.

“From the feedback so far, I can say alumni see themselves as CEOs – as leaders of industry – not in the backroom.”

Innovation goes global

The Cambridge-MIT joint venture echoes another characteristic of UK R&D: its global reach.

Not only has the UK attracted the best graduates from overseas universities, but UK scientists have long worked in cross-border research teams.

In March, for instance, a combined team of physicists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Queen’s University of Belfast announced progress in reducing pollution caused by car exhausts.

Meanwhile, the pan-European Lycocard group, which includes a nutraceutical specialist team from Liverpool, is exploring the health benefits of lycopene as part of a European Union funded project.

Centres of excellence

Clusters have developed around talent pools in both biotech and other technologies: Cambridge’s ‘Silicon Fen’ has almost 200 biotech companies (17 publicly quoted) clustered around 20 per cent of the world’s medicine and chemistry Nobel laureates.

They include global companies such as Aventis, GSK, Unilever’s molecular science facility and the Generics Group consultancy.

The priority now is to secure the UK’s talent pipeline.

In the decade to 2004, the number of graduates in computer science increased 144 per cent, in medicine 123 per cent, and in biology 110 per cent.

A £1.5 million project encourages young people from minority communities to pursue science careers.

At the same time, a three-year project launched recently by The Work Foundation think-tank with £1.5 million Government-backing, will explore new ways to strengthen the UK’s R&D framework.