Famous vacuum cleaner inventor James Dyson today unveiled his ideas on how the Conservative Party should promote science and industry, in the event that they win the forthcoming general election in Britain.
Dyson’s report, commissioned by Tory leader David Cameron, calls for more celebration of successful science, more and better teaching of science in schools, more technology transfer, and more finance for high-tech companies. Dyson also wants to see the tax credits offered for research and development become more targeted on small business and start-ups.
David Cameron’s Conservative Party has widely been seen as less science-savvy than both their Labour and Liberal Democrat rivals. Now they’re hoping that the new report – publicly backed by deputy rector of Imperial College Peter Knight and GSK non-executive chairman Christopher Gent – can help them fight back.
“We need more scientists, engineers and designers who can turn ideas into working products. We need to be better at supporting the ecosystems that transfer new ideas from universities and which incubate new firms,” writes Dyson.
“We need an education system that equips young people and germinates the seeds of industrial ambition in them. And we need government to support innovating firms, especially smaller ones, both through the tax system and the power that comes from being Britain’s single largest customer.”
Shadow business secretary Ken Clarke said a Conservative government would “undoubtedly follow this broad agenda”.
Yesterday the Royal Society released a report entitled The Scientific Century: Securing Our Future Prosperity, which argued against slashing support for research in the economic hard times to come. The Labour government appears to at least be acknowledging the sentiment (see: Royal Society pleads for British science spending).
In the Times though, business editor David Wighton questions the oft-touted benefits of backing high-tech industry. Citing a recent report by the McKinsey Global Institute, he notes, “There is certainly little chance that large numbers of jobs will be created by fostering green technology or bio-science clusters.”
The McKinsey report itself warns, “Many policymakers are pinning their hopes today on innovative new sectors such as cleantech as the answer to the challenges of competitiveness, growth and jobs. Yet the innovative emerging sectors themselves are too small to make a difference to economy-wide growth.”