Our Innovation is GREAT campaign is a top priority for both our team and for our Embassy colleagues across the Central Europe region. So I was delighted to attend a press conference in our Embassy on 20 October, where an innovation partnership between the University of Cambridge and the University of Warsaw was announced by Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, and Professor Marcin Palys, Rector of the University of Warsaw. It will bring together scientists from both institutions in an ambitious plan to develop innovative technologies. It is an important moment in the long history of academic cooperation between Poland and the UK.
Why is it so important? For two main reasons:
First, very pragmatically, because Poland will benefit from Euros 82.5 billion of EU funding over the next five years (Central & Eastern Europe as a whole will receive Euros 150 billion). During the allocation process, we expect significant emphasis to be placed on sector specialisation, smart business, knowledge leadership and growth partnerships – and specifically, on the development of innovation. Academic partnerships of the kind announced today, linked to engagement with business, will facilitate access to this funding for joint research programmes. And that funding can be used to power research which will help to grow the innovative products and technologies of tomorrow.
Second, while Poland already has a strong research base with outstanding scientists in key areas, as in many countries it has often proved challenging to translate this research capacity into economically productive commercial applications. British institutions have much experience to offer here. Britain is now officially ranked the second most innovative country in the world, and the most innovative among the EU 28. This is partly a result of our superb universities: four of the top six universities in the world are in the UK. But we also have a track record that few other countries can match in successfully transforming research into commercial opportunity.
Participants at our Innovation Summit today saw concrete examples of this British success story. We had on display the ‘GREAT Britain Innovation Showcase’: an exhibition of exciting recent innovations developed in the UK. These included the Artificial Pancreas that has been developed by Renfrew Group International and Professor Joan Taylor from De Montfort University, the i-limb prosthetic hand from Touch Bionics, the ‘Dunkable’ mobile phone from P2i, and the SKYLON spaceplane that will be powered by Reaction Engines’ SABRE Engine.
The Showcase aims to bring the word “innovation” to life, and to inspire us to work together to become more innovative. Our countries both have great researchers and entrepreneurs. Working together, I am certain that they will be even more creative and convert more of their exciting ideas into commercial realities. I am confident that the partnership between Cambridge and Warsaw is just the start of an important new chapter in our collaboration.