Entrepreneurs are making a major contribution to the UK’s innovation culture, new figures have revealed. The UK Intellectual Property Office has announced that, of all the patent applications made in the first quarter of this year, one in three came from individuals. While it has always been the case that the majority of patents are lodged by large companies and research groups, the numbers of individuals who are now seeking to protect their ideas suggest that the spirit of entrepreneurial innovation is thriving in the UK. Spurred on perhaps by the popularity of such television programmes as BBC’s Dragons’ Den, more than 1800 people submitted applications to the UK Intellectual Property Office in the first three months of 2007. Many of those who wanted to safeguard their inventions were also aiming to create a business on the back of their ideas. Stressing the importance of keeping innovation in the public eye, Malcolm Wicks, the Science and Innovation Minister, said of the figures: “Britain remains a nation of inventors, taking their ingenuity from the garden shed to commercial success. Entrepreneurs and the passion of those who appear on shows like Dragons’ Den can really inspire innovation.” The Minister was speaking at the launch in Bristol of Cracking Ideas, an innovation project that is to be introduced to the country’s primary schools. Its purpose is to encourage children to develop their inventiveness and to demonstrate to them how they can profit from a smart idea. Mr Wicks added: “Some of the big inventions we will see later this century may be in the minds and imaginations of young children today. Cracking Ideas is an effective way of engaging children in innovation.” Date:6 June 2007
Content by: Made Simple Group
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