Hi-tech Future Speech by the Universities and Science Minister

5th January 2012

Universities and Science Minister, David Willetts, has today made a speech on the UK's high-tech future at the Policy Exchange in London.

In the speech he argues that the UK's universities, science facilities and researchers are central to the nation taking a lead in the high-tech world of the future, creating jobs and opportunities and boosting high-tech economic growth. David Willetts makes the following announcements to achieve high-tech growth: - Sets the Government's goal that it should be the best place in the world to do science. - Release of a series of reports showing what the research sponsored by the Research Councils is achieving. - Sets out the Government's ambition to have more universities in the world's top 100. - The Government has invited proposals for new types of university with a focus on science and technology and on postgraduates. - The Government's ambition for universities' knowledge exchange funding from external sources to grow by 10% over the next three years. - The next Catapult Centre will be in the application of satellite technology. - He is setting up leadership councils in e-Infrastructure and in synthetic biology. - Release of a new report on e-infrastructure strategy. The full speech is available to view on the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills website.