BRITISH inventors had their day in Parliament earlier this month when David
Shaw, MP for Dover, called a debate on what could be done to stimulate British
innovation.
Shaw took up the cause after talking with Trevor Baylis, inventor of the
clockwork radio for developing countries. British manufacturers scorned the
invention and it is now made in a factory in South Africa.
Shaw called for the government to increase its 拢10 000 a year grant to
the Institute of Patentees and Inventors. The IPI鈥檚 role is to help individual
inventors but its annual budget is only 拢35 000. Shaw also asked the
Millennium Commission to back Baylis鈥檚 plan for a royal academy for innovation,
which will build a bridge between inventors and industry.
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Labour MP Adam Ingram blamed government cuts for the 鈥渃ollapse of morale鈥�
among higher education researchers. 鈥淲ithout a commitment to research,鈥� warned
Ingram, 鈥渢here is little hope of expansion of innovation and invention.鈥�
Ian Taylor, minister for science and technology, accused Ingram of 鈥減arty
political comments鈥� but agreed that unless Britain makes better use of inventors
it 鈥渨ill not be properly equipped to face the challenges of the next century鈥�.
He also conceded that the country is losing money because inventors take their
ideas abroad.
