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| Policy Advice and Inquiries / RSE Business Innovation Forum |
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Given the RSE’s track record of promoting commercialisation from the academic base and its Fellowship drawn from the business and academic communities and including many of Scotland's key opinion formers, the Council of the RSE has set up a Business Innovation Forum to identify and stimulate processes that will increase business Innovation investment and to suggest how appropriate strategies should be developed in Scotland.
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| Remit |
| The RSE Business Innovation Forum was launched at the Scottish Parliament on 28 January 2010 with a remit to: |
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Identify and propose mechanisms to encourage growth of innovation in companies in Scotland. |
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Identify and propose mechanisms by which business in Scotland could make better use of the research base to stimulate economic growth. |
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Act as an independent body, to advocate these mechanisms to the Scottish Government and to other bodies with relevant responsibilities and capacities; |
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Interact with other bodies concerned with the operation of the research base and with economic and business development in Scotland; |
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where appropriate, to publish reports, to create work groups and other activities to pursue its objectives, activities which may include members outwith the Forum. |
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| Membership |
| Chaired by the RSE’s Vice-President for Business, the Forum is largely business-led, but with representation from senior researchers and academics. Its membership includes: |
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Chair: John McClelland CBE FRSE – RSE Vice-President (Business), Chairman of Technology Ventures Scotland, NQC ltd, and the Scottish Funding Council. Former President of 3Coms Business Networks Company and Renfrewshire Enterprise Company. |
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Steve Beaumont OBE FRSE – Vice Principal at Glasgow University. Member of the Scottish Science Advisory Council, and led the development of the SSAC report on “Patterns in Business R&D”. Former Director of the Institute for System Level Integration. |
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Geoffrey Boulton OBE FRSE – General Secretary of the RSE; member of the UK Council of Science and Technology; former member of the SSAC and SFC |
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Tariq Durrani OBE FRSE - Professor of Signal Processing, Former Deputy Principal, University of Strathclyde. Member of SFC |
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Sir Tom Farmer CVO CBE KCSG DL FRSE, founder of the Kwik-Fit tyre company and Director of Maidencraig Investments Limited |
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Mr Colin Hood, Chief Operating Officer, Scottish and Southern Energy |
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Donald MacRae FRSE, Chief Economist Lloyds Banking Group Scotland, director Lloyds TSB Scotland plc, board member Scottish Enterprise, Interface and member Rural Development Council and Scottish Government Economic Statistics Advisory Group. |
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Chris Masters CBE FRSE, former Executive Chairman, Aggreko plc and Chairman of SHEFC |
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David Milne OBE FRSE – Founder of Wolfson Microelectronics and non Executive Director. Chairman of Elonics semiconductor company and Chair of the Edinburgh International Science Festival and the James Clerk Maxwell Foundation. |
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Ian Ritchie CBE FRSE FREng – Business Angel and Technology Entrepreneur. He is co-chair of the Scottish Science Advisory Council, and Chairman of 5 technology companies (including iomart plc.) Formerly a board member of the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), Scottish Enterprise, and Channel 4 TV Corporation. Board member of National Museums of Scotland, and the Edinburgh Film and Science Festivals. |
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| Work plan |
| The first task of the forum is to come up with some ideas to help stimulate business innovation in Scotland. Members of the group have been meeting with chief executives of leading companies in Scotland to discuss what was needed to a supportive environment for businesses to grow and innovate, and the Forum will report on these in 2010. |
| Contact |
For further information, please contact Dr Marc Rands, 0131 240 5033
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22 February, 2010 |
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