Research and Development

Question: I have the privilege of representing one of the 10 most productive towns in the United Kingdom, yet our university—Thames Valley university—appears to be abandoning Slough. Despite that productivity, often in new technologies, science and the biotechnology industry, we do not have the university-industry link that helps in so many local authorities. What can the Minister do to help towns such as Slough to develop that vibrant business sector and to make partnerships with the other universities, which are far away, in order to create opportunities to build on what we have already achieved?

Answer: My hon. Friend makes a good point, and she is certainly a great champion for Slough and the business community there. We announced in our White Paper, ““Innovation Nation””, which was published a fortnight ago, that we want to set up new partnerships for innovation, which might provide an opportunity for a good discussion about how we might maximise and build on the links that already exist. Although there has been a big change in university-business interaction over the past 10 years, there is still more that we can do to promote the knowledge base in our universities and ensure that it is commercially exploited. Strengthening those university-business links must be a priority for us, and I would be happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss the circumstances in Slough.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 474 c312-3
Session: 2007-08
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Subjects: Business Innovation Higher education Slough Thames Valley University Research
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk