Techies boldly going into our scientific future

Feb 28 2008 By Andrew Mernin

IF our industrial identity was once symbolised by the miner’s lamp, coal shovels and the iconic shipyards of the River Tyne, could our future be represented by white coats, microscopes and digital technology?

That was certainly the argument being put forward yesterday as some of the leading lights in science and technology visited the region and claimed the future for the North East firmly lies in the laboratory, where we are already on the way to becoming a global centre of excellence.

‘Enormous’ was the word former BBC Tomorrow’s World presenter Judith Hann used to describe the future of the North East’s science and technology sector, which she agreed could one day become as important to our economy as shipbuilding or mining once was.

The science writer, who facilitated the Entrepreneurs Forum’s Harness conference at Hardwick Hall near Sedgefield yesterday, said: “Science and technology are going to play a key role in this area’s economy in the future.

“There are companies like Tanfield that makes electric vehicles which, because of pollution and climate- change worries, is going to be a very big field.

“At Newcastle University there is a major department doing stem cell work which is going to lead to some of the major breakthroughs in medicine, with the potential to solve problems like diabetes, brain disease or spinal injuries – so some very important work is going on in Newcastle.”

Joining Mrs Hann at yesterday’s conference aimed at entrepreneurs in the science and technology sector was Trevor Baylis, inventor of the clockwork radio.

And the founder of the Academy of Invention was certainly impressed by the region’s rapidly-developing presence on the world’s scientific stage. In fact, he is hoping to bring his company, which helps inventors protect their ideas and find a route to market, to the region, possibly with the aid of North East investment group NorthStar.

He said: “I started an organisation called Trevor Baylis Brands down in the south of England and its not too different from what NorthStar does up here, so I would like my company to be represented up here and NorthStar to be represented down south.”

So while the region’s economic future may be pinned on the men in white coats, does the North East have the potential to become a truly global leader in the field?

According to Dr James Bellini – the son of an Easington miner and one of world’s leading experts on technology and the future outlook for business – the answer is a resounding yes.

The Cambridge graduate, who is a former member of renowned ‘futurology’ think-tank the Hudson Institute, said: “If people asked me how can the North East ever be a leader in anything, I would say, ‘Excuse me, I just got off the train at Darlington which was the first railway line ever built. This area excelled in shipbuilding and engineering of various kinds so I have no doubts about this region leading the way in science and technology at all’.”

However, as Dr Bellini explained, there are certainly challenges ahead.

“There is the issue of population movement, with people migrating to South East, so the North East might just run out of people and talent retention will be difficult.”

“Also, the North East is a place where people graft with a good solid work commitment. But as we move towards a more consumer lifestyle, there is a danger that we lose touch with this work ethic.”

Dr Bellini believes the science and technology sector could eventually become a mass employer in the region by bringing a new form of manufacturing back.

He said: “The future is about intellectual property and the way to win in a very competitive world which is shifting east is to maintain and develop intellectual property and knowledge assets.

“Manufacturing will come back to the UK but it will be a different kind such as healthcare or nanotechnology and it won’t be in dark satanic mills, it will be in laboratory-quality premises in areas like immune system measurements or diagnostics.

“So there’s no reason at all why it should come to an area like this because the future is size neutral
and you don’t have to be big to succeed, you have to be part of a network.”

Page two: Cheaper markets will fade, says Tanfield boss