A collaboration between the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), the Design Museum, London Science Museum and the EPSRC (not to mention all those companies and individuals who have taken part so far), the Future is Here canvas seeks images of technologies, ideas, people or places that are here now, but that will have more of an impact on our lives in the next three to five years.
Take a look at the canvas and share your image (or just tweet using #futureishere); it will be seen by thousands of technologists and designers, the TSB assures us. There are over 700 images on the canvas already and a range of prizes is up for grabs for those who submit their own images. Check it out here.
UK automotive on a high
A good performance in September saw 2013 UK car production soar to 1,125,433 units, up 3.9 percent on 2012. Some 140,888 cars were built in September, 9.9 percent ahead of 2012, and the rolling 12-month output hit 1.5 million for first time since October 2008.
Moreover, it's not just exports that are fuelling these figures; strong domestic demand made a big contribution, contrary to economic indicators but possibly as a result of manufacturers' innovative financing arrangements for consumers.
The sector is one of the UK’s biggest success stories of recent years, according to Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) chief executive, Mike Hawes.
“This year alone, more than £2.6 billion has been committed across the UK automotive sector, from the supply chain to global car manufacturing brand," he says. "This long-term financial commitment and robust demand for UK-built products demonstrate the global appetite for high-quality, desirable products borne of the UK’s world-class design, R&D and engineering.”
We're also prolific engine builders, it seems. Some 230,743 engines were manufactured in September (largely fuelled by exports), up 8.3 percent on last year. Year-to-date growth of 1.2 percent sees UK engine output approaching two million units for 2013.
Patent Box spurs innovation
Recently released, a report from Cambridge Design Partnership entitled 'Patent Box: An industry report on incentivising UK innovation', reveals that the UK government's new Patent Box initiative is likely to encourage big business to remain in the UK. This upbeat message is tempered somewhat by the report's authors, who urge the government to do more to help SMEs with incentives to encourage innovation.
Produced in conjunction with international patent attorneys, Marks & Clerk, and the University of Cambridge Judge Business School, the report reviews the state of innovation in the UK today, with insight from patent filing figures and in-depth industry interviews. It also outlines the practicalities of the scheme for businesses, providing calculation-led business scenarios. Read the executive summary and download the full report here.
Men and women split over the atom
With the announcement that the government is to press ahead with the new Hinckley Point C nuclear power plant, new research from Attitudes to UK Industry shows that men and women have very different views on the future of nuclear power. Nearly two thirds of men (60 percent) believe that the government should invest in nuclear power, yet just one in three women (32 percent) feel the same. The latest Attitudes to UK Industry report can be found here.
Les Hunt
Editor