National Showcase Event Demonstrates Benefits of Research

The importance of research to the Scottish and UK economies was highlighted during a visit by STFC to Edinburgh on 24 January. With the cooperation of Scottish Enterprise and local universities, STFC held a successful technology demonstration event at the National Museum for Scottish business and industry to showcase recent technology and computing applications originally developed for scientific research purposes but which have potential application for business.

Director of STFC’s UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh, Professor Ian Robson, told guests: “Tonight’s technology demonstration gives just a small taste of the ways in which these developments from university and laboratory researchers – and the skills and scientific method required – can find their way into the modern economy to the benefit of all of society. Without scientific enquiry into the atom, the electron, the structure of DNA, the furthest reaches of the universe, it is doubtful – probably impossible – for us to imagine the modern interconnected world, the breakthroughs in medical research, even the CCD chips in our modern digital cameras.”

STFC Chief Executive Officer, Professor John Womersley, said STFC  had extensive collaborations with Scottish universities across a very wide range of research disciplines, and also with Scottish government agencies and industry. “We look forward to continuing to work with our colleagues in Scotland to demonstrate and enhance the important contribution to economic growth played by science and technology, and I was particularly  pleased that the Scottish Minister for Science, Dr Alasdair Allan MSP, was able to join us for the event,” Professor Womersley said.