Welcome to Lord Drayson's Online Notepad. This is an experimental page to to support key Twitter conversations, public correspondence and other material. You can follow @lorddrayson here.
9 July 2009
On July 1st on Twitter, Lord Drayson promised to address misunderstandings about the UK Innovation Investment Fund. His response is below:
The new UK Innovation Investment Fund that Peter Mandelson and I announced last week has caused confusion among some commentators.
So let me clarify its structure and purpose.
The Government is the cornerstone investor in this fund, which means we're putting in £150 million. We expect this £150 million to be matched by private investors on the same terms as the Government, and over 10 years, we aim to turn this into a £1 billion fund.
Ten years is the time frame for money to be raised and allocated – and for investors to see returns.
Private investors like UK pension funds haven't previously had the opportunity to invest in a fund of this scale. And that's the key point here.
Government is making this substantial initial commitment so that we achieve a fund that can compete with equivalents in the United States.
These billion-dollar-plus US funds have the scale to keep faith with promising high-tech firms. They have the resources to provide significant follow-on investments. Where they stipulate that no firm can receive more than 10 per cent of the value of the entire fund, they're still making sizable investments through which companies can become global concerns.
We've not had this capability in the UK. Now we do. It's time to protect our best companies through the downturn and support them through further economic cycles.
That's where we coming from with this – not something I could explain in 140 characters or less on Twitter. But – as ever – do tweet me with your thoughts.
7 July 2009
Following the merger of DIUS and BERR to form the Department for Business Innovation and Skills in June, Lord Drayson answered questions from fellow Twitter users about the new department and his new joint role with the Ministry of Defence.
Space constraints prevent us from posting the entire exchange here, but many science bloggers involved in the discussion reported on it afterwards. And now thanks to a link from Twitter user @skyponderer, the the whole conversation can be viewed here.
19 June 2009
Recently, Lord Drayson had the following exchange with fellow Twitter user @Harkaway:
Lord Drayson said: Brilliant innovators at NHS innovation expo today. Personal favourite was Andy Speechley of Independent Care Products. www.bidetcommode.com
Harkaway said: @lorddrayson Has anyone invented a patient phone which isn't shamefully expensive?
Lord Drayson said: @Harkaway u mean payphones at the bedside in hospital?
Harkaway said: @lorddrayson Yes. I seem to remember that they're irrationally expensive. It always strikes me foul play. Cruel and opportunistic.
Lord Drayson said: @Harkaway Ok. Lets try an experiment. I will treat this as an As official" tweet to a Minister. (i.e. me) @BIS_Science #LDSciSurgey
Harkaway said: @lorddrayson Ooh! Okay. Would you like me to do anything?
(This is *exactly* what excites me about twitter and government.)
Lord Drayson said: @Harkaway Nope. Lets just wait and see how the civil service system responds. @BIS_Science #LDSciSurgey.
We put this question to the Department for Health and have posted their response from a spokesperson below:
“Patients have made clear that they value the choice of using a personal telephone to remain in contact with family and friends and this service is available at around 80,000 NHS hospital beds. Most callers to patients are made aware of the charges by recorded announcement at the beginning of each telephone call and they have the option of continuing with the call or making a short call to the patient so the patient can make a cheaper outgoing call of 10p per minute.
“This service is free to the NHS and the firms contracted to supply the service pay the installation, maintenance and running costs.”
For more information about telephones in NHS hospitals, including the 2006 Ofcom review into the cost of incoming calls, see the Department of Health Estates and Facilities Management page.
16 April 2009
Lord Drayson is now on Twitter, a free social networking and micro-blogging tool. To see his recent posts, click to view his Twitter page.
Recently, Lord Drayson posted his vision for Britain in 140 characters on Twitter:
@lorddrayson My vision 4 UK in 140chars: Healthy Britain, Green Britain, Digital Britain (life, earth and computer sciences/technology) Tweet yours pls
Here are some of the replies he received:
@PaulSloane: 'Government needs to focus less on process and more on results.' Lord Drayson, Minister for #Innovation @lorddrayson - Applies to us all.
@martinstillman: @lorddrayson press for greater co-operation from the Banks for all SME's!
@SteveHeggie: The UK should be a haven for science and rational thought, where all are given the opportunity to contribute to a better world for everyone.
@sealtree: @lorddrayson Vision for UK? Utopia! Environmentally sound. Truly democratic-zero corruption. Technologically advanced. Best health & educatn
@BirMar: @lorddrayson i basically agree with yours. healthier and greener equals happier. wary of nano and digital everythings effect on true health
@pittso: @lorddrayson UK is a highly resource efficient, dematerialised economy driven by molecule managers: chemists, engineers and biochemists
@RichardSmedley: RT @lorddrayson: My vision 4 UK in 140ch: Healthy Britain, Green Britain, Digital Britain (life, earth & computer sciences/technology) Yrs?
@Laura_B_James: @lorddrayson a sustainable, resilient society based on openness, sharing and collaboration (thanks to @glynmoody who said it right)
@martinstillman: @lorddrayson honest, fair, trustworthy, high morale standing, smart, expert, clever, humble, admired.....
@kejames: @lorddrayson My 140char vision 4 UK: Sweet on science, climate-conscious, valuing cultural & biological diversity, lots & lots of bicycles
@annastarkey: @lorddrayson A greener, healthier, simpler, sustainable life. Science supported, arts exploring, pollution free, waste less, think more.
@ed_dowding: @lorddrayson Healthy, wise, kind, green & pleasant, flourishing great & free - mankind's genius in resilient harmony with nature.
@russelltanner: @lorddrayson A creative, innovative, collaborative, positive, educated and mutually respectful Britain
@DoNotGoGently: @lorddrayson My vision 4 UK: cosmopolitan world capital; exemplar of open science; keep us (the US) honest as u lead by example. We need it.
@joannejacobs: @lorddrayson A creative and productive Britain.
@dougmatic: @lorddrayson Britain: Creating new paradigms in education, business and international relations-Causing a world that works for everyone.
@Bubblz_n_Caz: @lorddrayson Harmonious, inquisitive, collective greater than the collection (heard that today - liked it), successful, positive, green.
@gruts: @lorddrayson Nuclear-powered, secular, educated, liberal, unsurveilled, wi-fied, Creative Commons Britain with proper, traditional pubs.
@uliandobson: @lorddrayson People before politics; values before 'value added'; open; green; creative; continuously regenerating; equal; fair; listening.
@tom_wells101: @lorddrayson increasingly happy, sustainable, no longer focused on growth Britain
@glynmoody: @lorddrayson a sustainable, resilient society based on openness, sharing and collaboration, + a government that serves & respects its people
@claytonhirst: @lorddrayson ... Britain run by elected politicians.
@physicus: @lorddrayson no.1 is an educated nation, then playing to strengths, globally aware/integrated,leading,alliance building,secular!
@IanAspin: @lorddrayson Caring, Generous, Kind, Purposeful, Prosperous, No-bull, Sustainable, Meaningful,Mind-expanding, Connected, Fun, Global Britain
@adamsapples: @lorddrayson Plus world peace; food for all; jobs for all; free speech; no more Soaps or Labour government
@KellyJS: @lorddrayson A nation of go-getting, enterprising, confident people
@jeremyspeller: Government by Twitter - cool RT @CameronNeylon: RT @lorddrayson: Tweet me! Your vision for Britain in 140 characters
@CameronNeylon: @lorddrayson fair enough engage in good faith and all that: Diverse, inclusive, efficient, effective. The best from all and all for the best
@rolandharwood: @lorddrayson for the UK to be the most connected place on the planet
@adamsapples: @lorddrayson Using our 100 years of automotive design, production and engineering excellence to lead the world in electric vehicle tech
@arlloyd: @lorddrayson - #gbvision: a country where science & tech are an accepted part of the culture (alongside music, art, literature, sport etc)
@jeremyspeller: @lorddrayson safe Britain for our children, exciting Britain for innovators and, yes, digital Britain. Are you really tweeting from Cab Mtg?
@77A: @lorddrayson Secular, meritocratic, classless, national values instilled at school as US,Private schools for problem kids as in It, de +
@mbhulo: @lorddrayson A eco-powered, tech powerhouse for the the Information Age. Part of Europe. No fear of its own children. Educated and Social
@mrstucke: @lorddrayson For the children of Britain: Safe, Digitally Literate, Prosperous, Peaceful, Aware, Connected, Inquisitive, Inspired
@bristolwestpaul: @lorddrayson fair sustainable democratic connected happy healthy peaceful respectful safe and oh yes and sunny in day rain at night
Thank you to all who replied. If you would like to tweet your vision for Britain, please address it to @lorddrayson on Twitter.
