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Gregory takes chair of advisory board

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jun 6, 2006

Yorkshire Science - the Science and Innovation Council for Yorkshire and the Humber - has appointed Richard Gregory, OBE as the new chair for the organisation.

Yorkshire Science - the Science and Innovation Council for Yorkshire and the Humber - has appointed Richard Gregory, OBE as the new chair for the organisation with effect from 1st June 2006.

Established and funded by Yorkshire Forward, Yorkshire Science is an independent advisory body of leading members of the region's private, public and research sectors, aimed at identifying ways to support and develop innovation activity in businesses, increase the transfer of commercially valuable expertise from universities into business, and championing the region's science capability.

As Deputy Chairman of Yorkshire Forward from 1999 to 2004 Gregory led on higher education and innovation strategies, leading to the present successful Centres of Industrial Collaboration and the formation of the Science and Innovation Council itself.

He was chairman of Sheffield Hallam University from 1999-2003, is a Non-Executive Director of Sheffield University Enterprises , and has recently been helping the University of York and City of York Council with the development of Science City York.

Gregory is an experienced director in both the private and public sectors - Yorkshire Bank Chair and non executive board member of National Australia Group Europe, Chairman of Chesterfield Royal NHS Foundation Trust, and a former Managing Director of Yorkshire Television where he took a leading role in the introduction of new technology and innovative working practices in a 20 year executive career.

Taking on his new role Gregory said: "Yorkshire has some of the finest research universities in the UK with excellent track records in developing spin-out companies and some of the strongest technology transfer centres".

"We have some highly innovative companies and strengths in many sectors but there is so much more potential to boost innovation levels, to attract inward investment from companies who want to work or even partner with our research centres, and to continue to build our science capability".

"It is one of the region's strongest assets.

"In today's global knowledge economy innovation is increasingly the key to competitiveness and high value performance in both traditional sectors as well as new markets - innovation not just in products but also in processes and services, and in manufacturing as well as service industries.

"Sometimes we need scale to compete on the global stage and within the region we must have the best possible frameworks for collaboration between universities, businesses, planners and funding agencies".

"The aim is there but not always the means".

"I would like to see Yorkshire Science become a successful broker and high profile champion of these frameworks".

"It is an exciting moment in the development of Yorkshire Science itself".

Barry Dodd, Yorkshire Forward Board Member with responsibility for Innovation, said the appointment of Richard Gregory was a great opportunity.

"Innovation is the successful application of new ideas".

"It is the key to sustainable companies and increased profitability".

"The Yorkshire and Humber region spends more than GBP 650 million a year on research and development generating new ideas and processes".

"We need to be able to exploit this fully and bring all the strands of science and industry together to promote the region to the wider global market".

"Competition is strong and we need to be there with the very best".

"Yorkshire Science will help us achieve that goal and Richard Gregory's vast knowledge and experience means that he is ideally placed to lead it".

Gregory's dedication to promoting the region received royal recognition in 2005 when he was appointed Ambassador for Yorkshire by HRH Prince of Wales as part of BITCs National Awards for Excellence and received an OBE in 2004 for services to Yorkshire.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) and has honorary doctorates from Bradford and Sheffield Hallam universities.

Director of Yorkshire Science, Dr Trevor Gregory said: "We have a major challenge to awaken regional businesses and industry to the opportunities and exciting developments to be made through encouraging and nurturing innovation as everyday practice".

"Richard's appointment and enthusiasm for the Yorkshire region will be a real asset to help us to drive this message forward".