Government report: UK must focus on science and innovation
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High-end services key to Britain's economic future, says Lord Sainsbury....
A report by science minister Lord Sainsbury of Turville has called for an increased focus on science and innovation in the UK, as the country looks to find its role in the changing global economy.
The report, entitled Reach for the Top, asserts that the country must invest in the scientific skills and infrastructure needed to become a high-value research and development provider to the rest of the world.
“The best way for the UK to make the most of globalisation opportunities is to support the restructuring of British companies into high-value goods, services and industries,” the report says. “We should seek to compete with emerging economies in a 'race to the top' rather than in a 'race to the bottom'.”
But it pointed out that private investment in R&D has declined since 1991, according to figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
“The two most commonly used measures of innovation performance are the quantity of industrial research and the volume of patenting,” the report reads. “The UK’s performance is unimpressive on both counts.”
The report recommends a strengthened leadership role for the Technology Strategy Board, a quango established this year, with the express aims of promoting economic growth through technological innovation in the private sector.
Further reading
The Sainsbury Review: Reach for the Top
Risky business - What does the future hold for the UK’s IT professionals – from the trainee to the CIO – in a global economy?
