Impact
Taking care of your people,
places and public perception
Thinking Big
for the STEM pipeline
Building data skills for the science-based economy
S
ome technologies change the
world. The introduction of
iron, steam, electricity, and
then information technology,
caused step-changes in the
way in which economies function. This
earned these sectors the title of General
Purpose Technologies (GPTs), also
often presented as the ‘Four Industrial
Revolutions’ (see box on page 66).
As the technology dialogue has
developed, the term Key Enabling
Technology (KETs) subsequently
emerged to reflect some of the
enabling qualities of GPTs that support
widespread industrial development –
and the fourth industrial revolution.
Dr Malcolm Skingle
Chair of the Science Industry
Partnership (SIP) and
Director GSK
Malcolm Skingle CBE has a BSc
in Pharmacology/Biochemistry and
a PhD in Neuropharmacology. He
managed Academic Liaison at GSK
for over a decade. He now chairs
several groups including the SIP
The Science Industry Partnership
(SIP) is an alliance of employers that
has taken ownership of the skills
needed to generate innovation and
growth and increase productivity in
the science industries.
Through its Skills Strategy 2025 and
annual Skills Plan, which were based on
a major research exercise, the SIP has
identified five Key Enabling Technologies
that will underpin the success of the
science-based sector:
• Big data and informatics
• Synthetic biology and biotechnology
• Advanced manufacturing
• Formulation technology
• Materials science
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