NORTH WEST HAS KEY ROLE IN JOINING SCIENCE AND BUSINESS

Science and business in Manchester and the North West can provide a model of cooperation to share the drive for innovation and growth, Treasury Chief Secretary Paul Boateng said today.

Meeting key players from universities, business and local government in the region, Mr Boateng underlined the Government's support for investment in innovation and the science base, and found out first hand how leading bodies in the region are successfully meeting the challenge of transferring knowledge to business and the community.

Mr Boateng said :

?The Government has made its strategic commitment to science, engineering and technology clear. Our recently announced extra £1.25 billion investment in science and technology in the 2002 Spending Review will foster UK economic growth through raising levels of innovation. This is the largest sustained increase in Government science spending for more than a decade and reflects the importance of science to the economy and to society.

?Making sure that good ideas and skills get out of the laboratory and thrive in the market place is an essential link in the innovation system. The North West is at the forefront of bringing together those at the cutting edge of business and science to develop new ways of harnessing technology as a driver of regional economic growth.

?This shows the North West continuing to build on its successful industrial and commercial heritage, taking it forward into the 21st century with new ideas and new technologies. Innovation harnessed in this way can deliver real benefits to industry, trade, jobs and the wider community.

?The collaborative initiatives I have seen in Manchester today are not just good news for the region, but are a model for universities and businesses across the country to look to for the future. ?

Mr Boateng visited organisations developing science-industry links and science base in the North West, including Manchester Materials Science Centre, Manchester Metropolitan University, and Manchester Science Park, and saw a presentation on the work of the North West Development Agency and the North West Science Council before ending the programme at the Museum of Science & Industry Manchester (MSIM).

At MSIM, Mr Boateng saw a new Interactives Gallery, set up with the help of a £250,000 grant from DCMS. This will enable MSIM to attract more visitors to exhibitions telling the history of the industry, science and people of the Manchester area.

Exhibits and archives covering Manchester's development from the first industrial city to the present day are an important resource in encouraging interest and participation in links between business and science, drawing on examples of real successes, past and present. The number of visitors to MSIM increased by almost 60% following the introduction on 1 December 2001 of the Government policy of free access for all to Government sponsored museums and galleries. MSIM is particularly successful in welcoming a broad range of visitors through its doors.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. The Government published its science, engineering and technology strategy on 23 July (HMT press release 71/02).

2. Building on the Spending Review 2002 commitment of additional resources, the strategy, issued jointly by DfES, DTI and the Treasury, demonstrates how the Government is strengthening the science and technology research base and improving scientific and technical skills throughout the UK. This includes classroom to PhD training, school labs to national research facilities, world class research and development, and business innovation.

3. The strategy ties together the major increases to science, engineering and technology spending across schools, universities and the research base, along with Government actions to boost business innovation through wider economic reforms. It also sets out how the Government will improve the way it manages science within Government.

4. The strategy builds on previous major investments in the science base in recent years. Higher Education Institutions in the North West region were awarded over £50m from the Science Research Investment Fund established in the 2000 Spending Review (9.4% of the total for England), and over £60m from the Joint Infrastructure Fund (8.6% of the UK total), established in the 1998 Spending Review.

5. Media enquiries should be addressed to Charles Keseru at the Treasury press office on 020 7270 5188.

Press Notices index 2002 July to December