NEWS
BEST OF
THE REST
Hunt is
on for
the best
in British
innovation
SMEs are just as likely to develop
cutting-edge technologies as are the
big players in engineering, according to
leading technology innovators, which
is why there will be much interest in
this year’s MacRobert Award, the UK's
longest running prize for engineering
innovation.
Dr Sue Ion, chair of judges, said:
“The innovation landscape is changing
dramatically. While the UK has long been
famed for its engineering heavyweights,
there are now just as many opportunities
for small businesses to develop and
exploit game-changing technologies
capable of having global impact.
“In the last 10 years the award has
been won by SMEs five times. It’s great
to see the spirit of innovation embodied
in thriving engineering businesses of all
sizes, and for small organisations to be
gaining in confidence.”
Our pick of the
business columnists
The judging panel includes Professor
Ric Parker CBE, previously director of
research & technology at Rolls-Royce. He
said: “The MacRobert Award is the most
prestigious for UK engineering innovation
and I am always inspired by the excellence
and diversity of those nominated. Even
the UK’s largest engineering firms rely
on the agility and innovation of SMEs
throughout their supply chains.”
The award, to be presented on June
29, recognises outstanding engineering
innovation combined with proven
commercial success and tangible social
benefit. Winners receive £50,000, a gold
medal (and national acclaim). The 2016
winner, Blatchford, was recognised
for developing its Linx prosthetic leg
which judges hailed as the first of a new
generation of prosthetics.
To find out more go to
raeng.org.uk
LAST YEAR’S FINALISTS: Blatchford, for the development of the world’s most
intelligent prosthetic limb; Jaguar Land Rover, for the world-class innovation behind
the company’s decision to design and manufacture its own engines for the first time;
and Siemens Magnet Technology, for making a step-change in MRI technology
that could enable earlier diagnoses of a range of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and
improve drug development.
www.smeweb.com
WTO HEADACHE
There are few widely agreed truths in
the Brexit debate, but one of them is
this: if Britain fails to reach a trade deal
with the European Union after Brexit,
it will have to fall back on the “WTO
option”. This involves trading solely
under rules set by the World Trade
Organisation, which govern things like
tariffs and quotas. However, in recent
months trade economists have reached
an uncomfortable conclusion: falling
back on the WTO could be a lot harder
than it looks.
The Economist
TECH TALENT
The technology sector needs government
support but it doesn’t need more
government investment capital. Much of
the investment in UK start-ups already
comes from funds that are in some way
state sponsored. Instead the government
should focus on ensuring an adequate
supply of talent.
Jan Hammer, Daily Telegraph
DATA DEBATE
Wealth and influence in the technology
business have always been about
gaining the upper hand in software or
the machines that software ran on. Now
data — gathered in those immense pools
of information that are at the heart of
everything from artificial intelligence
to online shopping recommendations
— is increasingly a focus of technology
competition. And academics and some
policy makers, especially in Europe,
are considering whether big internet
companies like Google and Facebook
might use their data resources as a
barrier to new entrants and innovation.
Steve Lohr, New York Times
BITCOIN ENJOYS A HIGH
The FTSE 100 ended the year strong,
at 7,142, and reopened even stronger.
Meanwhile Bitcoin, the mysterious
digital currency, also started the year with
a surge to a three-year high — but that, I
suspect, had more to do with quantities of
weed smoked over the holiday.
Martin Vander Weyer, The Spectator
SME
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