Government Trade Envoy and
Dods Innovation Panelmember George Freeman MP, was the keynote speaker at the launch of the
report‘Innovation Britain: How can the UK lead the world in R&D investment’ in parliament this week. The report marks a year’s worth of activity of the
Dods Innovation Panel, which acts as a forum for parliamentarians and industry leaders to discuss solutions to the challenges facing the advanced manufacturing sector in the UK. The event also saw the presentation of the
We Made it! competitionawards which saw over 500 children from across the country submit designs for new products, with seven national winners seeing their designs turned into working prototypes.
“I want to start, on behalf of all of the MPs involved in the
Innovation Panel, really thanking the companies who have helped and supported and the teachers and network of people in the schools who have helped make all of this possible. And to congratulate
the winnershere today. The stuff you've done is just extraordinary.”
The
Dods Innovation Panelis a programme bringing together a group of organisations including Boeing, EPSRC, the ERA Foundation, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Pfizer, Raytheon, Spirit AeroSystems, the University of Cardiff and the University of Southampton with cross party MPs, focusing on three key areas where innovation could drive economic growth: Advanced manufacturing; the export sector; and skills.
George Freeman MP began by introducing the report and highlighting its key themes:
“I think the
reportsets out something of a manifesto for innovation which all of us involved, and it’s very much a cross party initiative, will now be taking round to Ministers.”
“The key messages really are skills and breaking down the gender gaps in schools.”
"It is wonderful to see so many girls here taking an active interest in innovation, science and technology. For years it has been far too male dominated an activity and we need the creativity and imagination of all our youngsters and we need to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects in schools."
The second key message is about "taking science out of the laboratory and into the world". Freeman emphasized the importance of getting more businesses, entrepreneurs and scientists into classrooms to inspire youngsters. "That’s actually about thinking differently and about rewarding it. We need to do that in our schools too.”
The third key message is about the importance of commercialising science and technology and showing how an idea can materialise into a concrete business that employs people, could be exported and generate revenue and tax income.
The fourth message was about encouraging entrepreneurs not to sell out at an early stage to bigger companies in Germany, the USA or China.
"We need to try and encourage people to do what James Dyson has done, to grow and grow and build a really great global world class business and there are more and more people beginning to do this which is encouraging."
Freeman went on to explain why having youngsters involved in science, technology and innovation was so important. He told the audience this country could be in danger of becoming "older and poorer" if "we do not find a way of trading our way out, of selling things around the world that are really valuable, that the emerging nations want".
He explained how innovation can significantly benefit the economy as well:
"This country faces a massive challenge, we have a huge debt. We have a model of delivering public services in Government which is not sustainable. We are now in a hugely competitive global world. We have got great aspirations, we are all living longer. Incredibly expensive healthcare. If we don’t find a way of trading our way out, of selling things around the world that are really valuable, that emerging nations want."
He praised the UK for always being brilliant at innovating and doing things differently and referred to the Olympics ceremony as a great example of what the country could achieve.
He then focused on the emerging nations and the fact they were predicted to provide markets for new fuels, new foods, new medicines and new professional and digital services. This would be a great opportunity for the UK to tap into these markets and therefore offer youngsters today the possibility of having "amazing careers and business prospects".
However, he emphasized that it was the UK’s responsibility to help and support youngsters and embrace entrepreneurship and innovation, in both the private and the public sector.
Freeman ended his speech on a positive note hoping that in 50 years’ time the UK will become a true entrepreneurial nation and innovation will have been embraced across the country and be accessible to everyone regardless of gender or race.
"I think there is a message here that if we really embraced innovation from the top of government, and we got better in government at buying it, better at supporting it and changing the culture so that people in Britain can feel that they can have a go and that if they don’t win first time they can get up and have another go, we will look back and say we did it."
"You can change things and I think that is the most striking thing about entrepreneurship."
Parliamentary editor of PoliticsHome Tony Grew thanked everyone who contributed to the
reportand those who participated in the
We Made It!competition for 11-14 year olds, which is now in its second year. He also thanked the MPs who have supported the programme and congratulated the 31 constituency winners who travelled to London for the event.
Dr Eddie Kirkby, operations support manager at the Manufacturing Institute who awarded certificates to the seven winning students in the
We Made it!competition used his speech to offer an overview of Fab Labs, explaining that they started as an idea at the MIT in 2002 and that they were open for everyone to attend and get involved. There were now 250 fab labs worldwide, with the first UK Fab Lab opening in 2010.There were currently 11 of them across the country, with the prospect of many more being introduced.
You find out more about the
We Made It!competition and the
Dods Innovation Panel
report here.