Independence for Technology Strategy Board (TSB)
In order to give the Technology Strategy
Board (TSB) – which supports collaborative R&D with businesses
– greater independence in delivering a national, business focused
innovation strategy, the Secretary of State for Trade & Industry
announced in November that the TSB would have the status of an executive
non-departmental public body (NDPB). This will enable the TSB to operate
at arm’s length from central government, with a business-led board
taking a strategic overview of innovation priorities across all sectors
of the UK economy, creating closer links between the science base and
industry and advising the Government on the allocation of resources
to priority technology areas. This new structure will become fully operational
by July 2007.
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To support the TSB’s enhanced leadership
role as an independent body, the Government has announced a number of
initiatives to strengthen the impact of the TSB, building on the early
conclusions of the Sainsbury review.
The TSB will get a funding of at least
£178 million by 2007-08. Due to its success in supporting innovation,
the TSB will now take on a wider remit to stimulate business innovation
in those areas that offer the greatest scope for boosting growth and
productivity in the UK. This will cover all areas of the economy, from
the manufacturing industries to the arts and creative industries.
Carrots for Research Council to collaborate with industry
The UK Research Councils are actively
working to strengthen their economic impact and increase the amount
of collaborative research they conduct with business. To date, Research
Councils have invested £25 million in TSB programmes to support collaborative
R&D projects. Building on the success of this model, the director-general
of science and innovation will agree specific targets with each Research
Council to increase the amount of collaborative R&D they conduct
in partnership with the TSB.
This planned Research Council business
collaboration funding will be allocated in a joint process by the Research
Councils and the TSB, and will form a clear basis for investment for
the Research Councils. It will maximize the capacity of investment from
the science base to attract matching funding from other sources.
Over 600 collaborative R&D projects and £100m input
The TSB will allocate £100 million for
collaborative R&D, bringing business and the research community
together to work on user-driven R&D from which new products, processes
and services emerge. Over 600 R&D projects have been approved for
funding so far and this new call will include substantial funding directed
to larger projects that provide maximum economic impact.
Expansion of knowledge transfer networks
In addition to the existing 22 networks
(such as sensors, micro- and nano- technology), the TSB is announcing
support for two new knowledge transfer networks (KTNs) in the areas
of creative & media industries and digital communications, bringing
business and academia together to identify opportunities for collaboration.
The new TSB Board plans to learn from
the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and recruit
secondees directly from industry. The TSB will also complement its portfolio
of support by taking over responsibility for leading the knowledge transfer
partnerships (KTPs) that provide support to companies who need to bring
skills or knowledge from the research base into the business.
The Sainsbury review is looking at what
more can be done to ensure the UK’s success in the face of opportunities
and challenges of globalization. At both regional and national levels,
the review is identifying areas in which effective government intervention
can continue to support the UK’s world-class science base and better
enable wealth-creation, reporting by summer 2007.
Re-assessing HEIF and its use
The review is considering how the effectiveness
of the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) could be improved to
support knowledge exchange and promote economic growth involving the
full spectrum of higher education institutions. The conclusions of the
review will inform decisions by the Office of Science and Innovation,
the Department for Education and Skills, and the Higher Education Funding
Council for England (HEFCE) on the method of allocation for future rounds
of HEIF. The review is also considering a shorter, more flexible knowledge
transfer partnership scheme targeted at SMEs.
SBRI – still on the drawing board
Improving effectiveness of government
departments: the review is exploring how innovation platforms can
be used to enhance departmental procurement through more strategic supplier
engagement. It is also looking at how departments’ R&D strategies
can be used to stimulate innovation in industry, and how they can be
better coordinated to address the Government’s long-term challenges.
Supporting entrepreneurship: the
review believes an improved Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI)
could provide support to early-stage high-technology companies, encouraging
innovation.
Empowering the RDAs (regional development agencies)
In consultation with the sub-national
review and the RDAs, the review will explore options for a new strategic
framework for the regions for allocating resources to key science and
innovation objectives. It will also explore ways in which RDAs can make
best use of their science and innovation expenditure to drive regional
economic growth.
Singing from same hymn sheet when abroad
Encouraging international collaboration: the review is looking at how to deliver the collaborative scientific research a globalized economy demands. It is considering:
- Research Council representation abroad;
- the Science Bridges programme; and
- a Royal Society scheme to encourage internationally recognized researchers to come to the UK.
In association with the sub-national
review, the review is also looking at ways to optimize UK representation
abroad.
Encouraging entrepreneurship and reducing risk aversion
Attitudes towards entrepreneurship in
the UK are improving, with the proportion of young people aged
16-24 considering going into business having risen from 14 percent in
2003 to 18 percent in 2005. There have been increases in the number
of people who encourage friends to start their own business, 66 percent
in 2005, up two percentage points from 2003; and a reduced averse attitude
to starting businesses – 56 percent were averse in 2005, compared
with 60 percent in 2003.
The Government is committed to strengthening
further the UK’s enterprise culture and is working to promote even
greater enterprise capability among young people in education. To maintain
the momentum ,the Government will continue the funding of enterprise
education at £60 million per year over 2007, as part of Department
for Education and Skills’ (DfES) 2007.
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