nicholasrimmer

Innovation Funding – Don’t give us what we ask for, give us the ability to ask for better.

Politicians of all stripes claim to support science and want to make their country or region the best place for innovation. This is then backed up by grants, loans, and other funding schemes to support local research and innovation. Many of these schemes are preceded by consultation exercises to determine what is required (and whatContinue reading “Innovation Funding – Don’t give us what we ask for, give us the ability to ask for better.”

Advanced Materials – Have we got what it takes to be successful?

The enormous potential and importance of the Advanced Materials sector is, at last, getting recognition. The UK Government’s 2021 Innovation Strategy recognised Advanced Materials & Manufacturing as one of seven technology families of UK strength and opportunity and there have been several high-profile investments into British materials technology firms already this year. It is nowContinue reading “Advanced Materials – Have we got what it takes to be successful?”

Patents or Products ?

Interesting infographic showing the leading companies for patents granted… Whilst patents are important to demonstrate ownership of an invention, they are by no means the only factor that determines the value of a technology or company. An invention is only valuable if you can commercialise it by bringing the right product to the right marketContinue reading “Patents or Products ?”

Will the UK benefit from the European Chips Act?

Interesting article in the Economist this week talking about the new European Chips Act, which aims to inject €43bn into the european semiconductor industry. Quite rightly, the author warns against the idea of investing in leading-edge and eye-wateringly expensive mega-fabs to compete with those in Taiwan, Korea, and the US producing high-volume components for useContinue reading “Will the UK benefit from the European Chips Act?”

The post-investment challenge: How to move fast and not break things?

1st February 2022 January was a busy month for the technology investment community with significant investments into UK based “real-tech” companies such as Pragmatic, ONI, BritishVolt, and Nexeon. (I’m using the term “real-tech” here to cover actual useful products that will find their way into an industrial or consumer supply chain within a reasonable timeframe).Continue reading “The post-investment challenge: How to move fast and not break things?”

A Gigafactory is only part of the answer… Let’s not repeat the mistakes of history

21st January 2022 The news today that Britishvolt has secured both government and private investment for the battery gigafactory in Northumberland is a fantastic boost for the region and the UK automotive industry. It does, however, bring back memories for me of similar fanfare announcements around the opening of the Siemens Microelectronics plant just 15Continue reading “A Gigafactory is only part of the answer… Let’s not repeat the mistakes of history”

Theranos: a lesson for technology investors

5th January 2022 Reading the news over the last couple of days on the demise of Theranos and the conviction of Elizabeth Holmes on four counts of fraud, I’m left with the question of why did it ever get to this stage? (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-59867772) Extraordinary claims in science require extraordinary evidence, especially in highly regulated fieldsContinue reading “Theranos: a lesson for technology investors”