Product category:
Engineering Business News and Views
News Release from: Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE)
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 08 April 2005
King talks up British science and
technology
UK Government Chief Scientist Sir David King painted a healthy picture of the state of British science and technology during the tenth IChemE George E Davis Lecture in London this week.
UK Government Chief Scientist Sir David King painted a healthy picture of the state of British science and technology during the tenth IChemE George E Davis Lecture in London this week Addressing an invited audience of more than 100 chemical engineers and senior figures from the scientific community, King took advantage of the Prime Minister's 24-hour delay in announcing the date of the British general election to give a strong endorsement for the UK Government's science strategy
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 10 Nov 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
30 years of Loss Prevention Bulletin
IChemE is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its journal, the Loss Prevention Bulletin (LPB).
Booklets describe hazards and how to manage them
BP's popular series of chemical process safety titles are to be published and distributed by the IChemE.
During a lively lecture King said: "UK science was chronically under funded through the 1980s and early 1990s but government spending reviews in 1998 and 2000 had started to redress the balance".
"The annual science budget has increased from GBP 1.4 billion in 1997 to GBP 2.4 billion in 2005 and plans are in place for further increases to GBP 3.3 billion by 2007".
He went on to say: "It is also a Government target to increase R and D spending in the UK to 2.5% of GDP by 2014" - a figure that he described as entirely "do-able".
King highlighted the role of science in shaping effective public policy, citing advice issued to Government during the 2001 foot and mouth disease outbreak in the UK as an example.
In contrast, he presented 26 year old research that clearly predicted the seismic episode which resulted in 2004's Indian Ocean tsunami - research dismissed at that time by governments who were unwilling to contemplate the cost of effective early warning systems.
He also touched on future challenges, including climate change.
King unveiled a series of dramatic slides depicting clear evidence of the link between human activity and rising CO2 levels before calling for "a clear vision of the energy futures required to enable global collaboration to move forward".
Although he believed that the UK science and technology base was now in much better shape, King called for additional measures to enhance the teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering and maths.
Following the lecture, King was presented with the highest award in chemical engineering in the UK, the George E Davis Medal, by IChemE President, Dr Robin Batterham.
• Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE): contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Engineeringtalk email newsletter
• Engineeringtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
