BRITAIN鈥檚 industry and research in high-temperature superconductivity is falling behind that of Germany, Japan and the US because of lack of funding, warn academic and commercial scientists working in the field. The scientists are writing to the Department of Trade and Industry to lobby for greater help in winning funds. They are especially keen to have high-temperature superconductivity included in the Foresight programme, which aims to identify areas of R&D that Britain should invest in.
鈥淭his year is a more appropriate one than for some years in the past, and perhaps for the future, because of some of the breakthroughs being made,鈥� says Ian MacDougall of Oxford Instruments. Jeremy Good of Cryogenic Consultants adds: 鈥淏asic research doesn鈥檛 get enough attention. If you don鈥檛 have good basic research then you can鈥檛 have good applied research.鈥�