Times
Online: Ever since the industrial revolution, science has
driven the global economy. As a scientific nation, the UK is,
by most indicators, second only to the US. But this is not
fully reflected in our economic strength, so where have we gone
wrong?In these tough times, we are refocusing on how best to
harness this strength to our national advantage. Political
responsibility for nurturing our academic talent and for
unlocking its economic benefit now rests with a single
"super-ministry": the Department for Business, Innovation and
Skills, and particularly in the hands of Lords Mandelson and
Drayson.It seems clear in retrospect that this country was
precariously overdependent on its financial sector; so the new
ministry's aim should be to ensure that our science and
engineering strength enables us to emerge from the downturn
with a more diversified economy. There should plainly be
special boosts for sectors ripe for exploitation—via, for
instance, the Technology Strategy Board. But is important that
long-term prospects—and the strength and breadth of the
UK's academic base—should not be jeopardised.
