Chi backs the Greatest British Innovation vote
Chi Onwurah MP for Newcastle Central is urging everyone to take part in The Great British Innovation Vote, to find the greatest British innovation of the last 100 years at topbritishinnovations.org.
Chi said:
“ Innovation is what has made Britain Great. Past innovations have ranged from the discovery of Penicillin to the creation of the World Wide Web .
The GREAT Britain campaign has shortlisted around 100 British innovations from the splitting of the atom to the discovery of the structure of DNA.
Ms Onwurah added:
“ Members of the public are asked to vote for the most important innovation in British science, engineering and technology from the last century (1913-2013). Voters will also get the chance to predict which of ten recent innovations they think will have the greatest impact in the next century.
Notes to Editors
1) Listen online to Audioboos recorded by leading figures championing their favourite British innovation. Perhaps you agree with Stephen Fry that Alan Turing’s Universal Machine is our greatest innovation, or believe Sir Paul Nurse is correct in championing the discovery of Penicillin? Or are you convinced that Brian Eno is right to celebrate the World Wide Web?
2) Voting opens at topbritishinnovations.org on 15 March and runs throughout National Science and Engineering Week, with the winning innovation to be announced on 25 March. Voters are encouraged to celebrate their favourite innovations via twitter using #GreatVote.
3) Many of these Great British Innovations continue to influence current research – the Royal Society’s Research Fellows explain more here – and can be seen on display, including the birth of crystallography, which is celebrated in Hidden Structures, a new display at the Science Museum.
4) The Great British Innovation Vote opens on 15th March and runs until 24th March during National Science and Engineering Week. Votes can only be cast online via topbritishinnovations.org.
5) Shortlisted innovations in the Great British Innovation Vote were compiled by GREAT, the Science Museum Group, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society, British Science Association, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Engineering UK.
6) The full list of innovations can be found on the voting site, but highlights include:
1910s – Birth of crystallography, First non-stop transatlantic flight and splitting the atom
1920s – Penicillin and the Baird Model B Televisor
1930s – Universal machine, Cat’s Eyes, Radar and the discovery of the neutron
1940s – Jet engine, Colossus and Holography
1950s – Crick and Watson DNA Model, the Mini and the Atomic clock
1960s – Strong carbon fibres, Plate tectonics and the discovery of pulsars
1970s – Concorde, DNA sequencing and Hawking Radiation
1980s – ARM chip, Genetic fingerprinting and the Hubble space telescope
1990s – World Wide Web and Dolly the Sheep
2000s – Quantum dots, Graphene and the discovery of the Higgs boson