T h e r e i s f u n d i n g ava i l a b l e t h at
must b e sp e n t o n r e s e a r c h a n d
i n n o vat i o n i n f r ast r u c tu r e
well can make a significant impact on our
futures,” he remarked, referring to IBM’s
five predictions on future technologies
that will change our lives in the next five
years (research.ibm.com/5-in-5).
PROJECT IMPLICIT
Catherine Johns, Business Durham,
presented on issues still faced by women
in STEM. Unconscious bias affects
decisions we make on a daily basis and
can have negative consequences. Take
the test for unconscious bias: implicit.
harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
SKILLS FACTORY
Paul Treloar, Sci-Tech Daresbury, looked
at the challenge of skills shortages. Five
years of data from campus surveys show
skills supply is constraining business
growth (by 26% in 2016). A Sci-Tech
Daresbury Skills Factory is being
developed to address these issues, and
to create a provider base to attract and
retain high-growth tenants and the
quality graduates they need to recruit.
“Perhaps the greatest risk to our
vision is whether we can feed the skills
requirements that we will need as our
businesses grow,” said Treloar.
is an excellent example. To maximise
information flow and diversity, anchor
organisations must aim to be respected
and open, seeking to promote physical
and virtual connectivity. As Bestwick
said: “We all agree that innovation is
powered by coffee, so physical proximity
between those individuals starting a new
project is important.”
T R A N S F O R M I N G D AT A
Dave Shave-Well, Chief Technology
Officer (Government) IBM, talked
about the development of cognitive
data analytic technologies and the
implications for UK-based businesses.
“Unstructured data is no use unless
you can give it structure and know what
to do with it. But the power of data used
S K I L L S S H O RTA G E S
Bill Williams, Chief Executive, CEME,
discussed the skills agenda, noting that
the skills issue is a global one. Skills
shortages cause businesses to miss
deadlines and have to turn away work.
Employees have to shoulder heavier
workloads and the quality of work falls.
Ultimately, profit margins are squeezed
and business growth curtailed. However,
we are all in a position to influence and
do something about skills.
“Don’t wait for the policy to catch up
before doing something to challenge
skills shortages locally, because it won’t,”
said Williams. “Science parks should
make someone responsible for making
something happen, such as a skills event
bringing together local educators and
R e a d o n l i n e at: u k s pa . org . u k / bre a k through
council representatives with business
owners and employers on your campus.
Or set up a UTC [a University Technical
College – see utcolleges.org].”
I N N O V AT I O N S T R AT E G Y
Rebecca Endean, Strategy Director, UKRI,
presented the strategic objectives for
evidenced-based national strategy and
increased commercialisation. The three
pillars of this strategy aim to build on
existing strengths and include pushing
human knowledge, delivering economic
impact and creating jobs, and creating
social impact by supporting society in
becoming stronger and healthier.
“There is funding available that must
be spent on research and innovation
infrastructure,” said Endean. “We are
looking at ways to spread funds in such
a way as not to detriment the levels of
excellence of our research base.”
S C A L E - U P C O M PA N I E S
Sherry Cuotu, Executive Chair of the
ScaleUp Institute, announced as the
Most Influential Woman in UK IT 2017
by Computer Weekly, updated us on the
scale-up gap that stunts productivity
and growth across the national economy.
(See page 16-17 for more.)
WITH THANKS
Other Chairs and speakers included:
UKSPA Directors Sally Ann Forsyth,
Mark Tock and Graham Hewson;
Michael Gleaves from the Hartree Centre;
Andy Levers from Virtual Engineering
Centre; Neal Forse from WND UK;
Nick Sturge from SETsquared Bristol;
Malcolm Parry from Surrey Research
Park; Ned Wakeman from Biocity;
Michael Norris from STFC; and
Johannes Solzbach from Clustermarket.
As usual, these events cannot take
place without the support of our
sponsors. Thanks go to: Sci-Tech
Daresbury, Wright Hassall, Clustermarket,
Nook, Marks & Clerk, Jisc, Sharp Ahead,
and Grant Thornton. ■
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