Peer Review – is it Working?
The title of the last Parliamentary and Scientific Committee meeting on the 24th January, “Peer Review - is it Working?” proved to be more of a rhetorical question than I had anticipated, mainly because the consensus was that peer review does, by and large work. ...
Innovation and Research for Growth
I had been waiting with some anticipation the publication last month of the Governments paper entitled Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth. This latest research strategy will, I am sure, form the basis of a number of blogs and white papers on our website in...
The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering
The announcement of establishment of the international £1 million peer-reviewed Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering is something to celebrate. Whoever put forward the idea should be wholeheartedly congratulated, for it is an important step in enhancing the status of...
Scoreboard – OECD 1: UK ?
The OECD released the 10th edition of its Science, Technology and Innovation Scoreboard for 2011 in September and having waded through the pages of figures trying to digest and evaluate their significance - the picture, at least in the traditional areas of achievement...
Innovate ’11 Patents, Science and Innovation
The UK Technology Strategy Board Innovate ’11 Conference last Tuesday (11th October 2011), attracted a large participation and a host of authoritative speakers, not least the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, The Rt Hon Vince Cable MP and the...
Innovation – the driving force for our economic recovery
According to Brian Cox writing in The Sun newspaper on 4rd October 2011 the UK Government’s commitment to spend an extra £195 million on science is “brilliant news as investment in science is a no-brainer. It will the driving force for our economic recovery.” I agree...