QinetiQ Malvern has, for a long time, been a mainstay of Malvern in terms of employment, attracting highly qualified and experienced people to the town who have used local amenities and sent their children to the many reputable schools in our area. This in turn has led to the claim that there are more PhDs per capita in Malvern than in any other comparable town in the UK.
Recently QinetiQ Malvern is reported to have announced 235 redundancies and followed this with the announcement of a further 30 additional redundancies due to be effective from 1st October 2010. However there is some talk that up to 350 redundancies are on the cards in this current round. It is estimated by the Malvern Gazette that 1200 people work at QinetiQ, Malvern, although this figure has proved difficult to verify. It is also estimated that around half these people live in and around Malvern.
Whilst the redundancies have received local press coverage there has not been much coverage of the technologies which will be lost to the country - representing over 50 years of state-funded research including the areas where QinetiQ, (formerly the state-run Telecommunications Research Establishment, (TRE), the Radar Research Establishment (RRE), later RSRE, and then DRA and DERA respectively -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_Research_Establishment before being privatised in 2001 as QinetiQ) was first to generate 'paradigm shifting' technologies, changing the way we lived and worked including - modern radar, discovery of cadmium mercury telluride enabling the first thermal imaging, first to develop cyanobiphenyl chemicals enabling liquid crystal displays and first bulk growth of gallium arsenide crystals for mobile and satellite communications. These areas are the subject of an ongoing formal consultation, however it likely that following this these notable areas and others will be closed from early October.
The claim is sometimes made that the areas of excellence to be closed and ultimately lost to the country primarily have military/security relevance and that they are very 'blue sky'. However this is not wholly the case with many areas actually generating significant revenues.
This is also not the view of Dr Eugene G Arthurs, Chief Executive Officer of SPIE, the International Society for Optics and Photonics, the world's largest member society in optics and photonics, who states in an open letter to Secretary of State, Vince Cable MP and The Right Hon. David Willetts MP of 22nd July 2010 that:
'I have noted with great concern the imminent cuts at QinetiQ Malvern and rumours of more to come. I believe that this is short-term expediency and will greatly damage an important strategic asset.
'The areas not only include imaging, lasers, optical components and systems for medical, military and research applications, but also aspects of new energy-efficient lighting, various approaches of exploiting solar energy, displays and "plastics electronics or photonics".....
'The knowledge base...built up through the work of various teams represents a key component underpinning the UK's future potential in electronic and optical technologies with growing market potential. I have no doubt that spill-over of this knowledge in the UK has helped world leading companies, such as BAE Systems, Thales, Smiths Instruments, SELEX, Galileo, e2V, Malvern Instruments and Andor.
'Destroying world-class capabilities such as those at Malvern in the short term will weaken the UK's base for the new economy.'
The technologies listed above largely all within four key areas -
o Low-carbon economy
o Sustainable healthcare
o Information processing
o A secure society
They include technology areas clearly relevant to some of today's urgent challenges including:
Compound Semiconductors
Micro Power Generation
Solid State Switching for all electric vehicles
High efficiency photo voltaic cells
Cost effective high visibility LEDs
Cost effective thermo-photovoltaic cells
Low voltage computer systems
3D consumer systems
High def video in portable applications
Health testing technologies
Emissions Monitoring (in light of Climate Change)
I have become involved as many residents in my division are concerned about what is happening at QinetiQ not only immediately but in the longer term, or they know others involved in the planned 230-260 redundancies. Some people may be re-deployed but certain parts of QinetiQ activity will be closed following this date.
In the past couple of years some very considered plans were developed to launch a Quantum Technology Partnership (QTP) project as part of the West Midlands Central Technology Belt which would have encompassed the technologies listed above. However, whilst Advantage West Midlands (AWM) was keen for these negotiations to be concluded prior to the election and had pushed for relevant documents to be signed, this did not happen in that timescale and the QTP project has now been pulled as part of £40m in-year savings due to be found before AWM is wound up.
The previous government commissioned Dr Hermann Hauser to look into the link between longer term research and commercial exploitation of research and Dr Hauser report 'The Current and Future Role of Technology and Innovation Centres', http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/innovation/docs/10-843-role-of-technology-innovation-centres-hauser-review.pdf assesses what structures the UK might develop to more effectively exploit our excellence in research. More recently James Dyson's Report 'Ingenious Britain' has been prepared for the new government. However, Malvern QinetiQ teams cannot afford to wait for the outcomes of these consultations if these wealth generating technologies are to be retained in this country.
Dr Eugene Arthurs, CEO, SPIE, the International Society for Optics and Photonics, deals with these issues in his letter (July 22nd 2010) stating:
'Some have said that QinetiQ's business model was flawed and that it was too much to expect a highly successful technology enterprise, mostly government funded, to become commercially successful. Certainly I have not seen that work well anywhere else, indeed all of the world's research and development centres are set up on a not-for-profit basis for good reason.
'Yet there is a problem that needs to be solved, a problem not unique to the UK but shared by many of the 'developed economies'. That is how to convert pre-eminence in science and technology into benefits for the local economy. This long known problem is at last getting serious attention and solutions will come. There are models to learn from in high wage economies, such as Germany.
'Dr Herman Hauser put it well in the report published in January of this year for Lord Mandelson, the former Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. (The government may have changed but not the economic realities.)
‘"These are exactly the capabilities for technology innovation that the UK must maintain if it is to continue to be a world leader and build a foundation for continued economic growth."’
'I believe Dr Hauser's suggested creation of technology innovation centres of excellence is indeed a potential road to capitalise on the UK's excellence in science and technology. Many of these sentiments are echoed in the Dyson report and I certainly share his advocacy for proper market influence in these centres'
With the demise of the QTP timings regarding these matters are now critical. As a result it has been proposed that a National Innovation Centre be developed on the Malvern Hills Science Park.
To do this some funding is required so one key issue is bringing this matter to the attention of government ministers and others with contacts who may be able to help - such as those with specialist sources of venture/other likely forms of capital. For example, it would clearly be detrimental to our capabilities in these areas if the vital equipment currently being used were sold.
Apparently, the amount of money needed to save these technologies from being lost to the nation is, I understand, around £15m. If a Bridging Loan could be arranged to establish a collaborative National Innovation Centre, based on something like the German 'Fraunhofer' model, it would enable us to continue to develop these technologies and generate new wealth creating platforms.
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