1. What is science? Science is merely a term for knowledge.
Nurse Review (Paul Nurse et al):
Basic research: Is the acquisition of new knowledge about the natural world.
Applied research: Aimed at achieving specific objectives and outcomes
Translational research: A bridge between basic and applied research, or goal-oriented basic research.
Technology is the skilled production of goods and services

2. Science and technology depend on each other
Not a linear relationship, e.g.
Basic science —> Applied Science —> technology
Rather a complex intertwined web, e.g.
Quantum theory leads to transistors and lasers leads to computers and new devices, leads to new science
Basic science can often lead to technology decades or centuries later:
e.g. Newton’s laws to satellites - ~300 years
General relativity to GPS ~ 100 years
Also unexpected - e.g. WWW from HE physics

3. World GDP through history

4. Fraction of world’s GDP

5. Science and the economy
Science has brought enormous benefits to society - life expectancy doubled in just the last century
Also a great triumph of human understanding - from the origins of the universe to how biology works
Virtually every product you can think of has basic science that underpins its development
Science and innovation lead to entirely new industries
Many top companies not only didn’t exist 50 years ago, but even their industry didn’t

6. Knowledge much more important than resources
Natural resources not as important as knowledge and technology (e.g. Africa or even Russia vs Switzerland or Singapore)

7. Wealth of country depends on knowledge and innovation
Wealth of Britain not really a result of colonization (poverty of colonies may be). Rather mainly due to innovation and technology. E.g. richest countries in Europe like Sweden, Switzerland and Germany had almost no colonies. On the other hand countries like Spain and Portugal that had lots of colonies (on a per capita basis Portugal had the most) became among the poorest in Europe.

8. Poorer countries initially spur economic growth by exploiting discoveries made elsewhere
USA: Edison’s light bulb really invented by Swann in the UK
Recent example of wind turbines: Danish company set up manufacturing in China, resulted in Chinese companies acquiring skills and eventually competing, now dominating market

9. Economic growth precedes scientific growth
In 1908, the USA became the world’s largest economy; However, not a major scientific player until the 1940s-50s.
Similarly, Japan had become a first-rate economy by the 1960s; became major scientific country only from ~1990s on
Today - Singapore - on its way to becoming major scientific power?
Tomorrow - China? Heavily investing in science.

10. However, a minimum level of high quality science needed to make the transition
Even by 1908, the USA had world class scientists:
Millikan oil drop experiment (showing electron charge was quantized)
Michaelson-Moreley experiment (light and ether)
T.H. Morgan - connection between chromosomes and genes
Basic science needed to even be able to exploit new technologies, e.g. today new biotechnology, etc.

11. Why should a country invest in science
rather than use discoveries made elsewhere?
Scientific understanding is basis of more applied fields like engineering and medicine
Without base of scientists, not possible to acquire the fundamental knowledge required for these disciplines, including new technology
First mover effect - if knowledge is local, it can help; e.g. Silicon Valley, etc.
Agglomeration effect - complementary expertise nearby, availability of skills, etc. — > growth of clusters

12. Some major problems
Food
Water
Energy
Health

13. Why is the UK successful?
Outstanding science
Talented people working in collaborative environment
Open innovation
Supportive business environment
R&D tax credits
Patent Box
Lower rate of Corporation Tax to profits from patented inventions.
Funding
Enterprise Investment Scheme, Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme
Biomedical catalyst scheme - Government matches funding for early stage companies

14. CAMBRIDGE SCIENCE PARK (roots in Trinity college, 1970)
1.6 MILLION SQ. FT. BUILT STOCK
500,000 SQ. FT. OF PLANNED DEVELOPMENT
DEDICATED SCIENCE PARK WITH 25% OF ALL OFFICE AND LAB ACCOMMODATION IN CAMBRIDGE
6000 EMPLOYEES, 80 COMPANIES
SELECTION OF BIO-MEDICAL OCCUPIERS ON CAMBRIDGE SCIENCE PARK

15. Research and Innovation in the UK

16. Antibody Therapeutics
Mouse mAbs - George Köhler and César Milstein 1975
Method to isolate and reproduce mAbs not patented by MRC
Applications in human medicine limited as mouse mAbs rapidly inactivated by the human immune response
Used in grouping blood types, identifying viruses, purifying drugs and testing for pregnancy, cancers, blood clots and heart disease.
Humanised mAbs - Greg Winter 1986
Technology to ‘humanise’ mouse monoclonal antibodies licensed to ~50 companies, one-off licence fee and royalties on resulting drugs
Human antibodies - Greg Winter, Michael Neuberger
libraries of human antibodies for display on bacterial viruses.
transgenic mice with human antibody genes
mAbs now account for third of all new treatments
breast cancer, leukaemia, asthma, arthritis, psoriasis, transplant rejection, etc.
A nice example showing historical perspective
– original idea not patented –
How academic institutes became responsible for commercialisation
On next slide how the technology developed and new companies started up/spun out from later developments
Demonstrates flow from academia to industry, back to academia and then to new industry

17. 2016 1989 2000 Antibody-related companies in Cambridge
Humira® 2003 Cambridge Antibody Technology 1st fully human mAb as a treatment for RA
Antibody-related companies in Cambridge
2016
1989
Follow on from previous slide
Cambridge Antibody Technologies and 1st mAb product
2016 Mature established companies for therapeutics (e.g. Medimmune (AZ)) and reagents (e.g. Abcam)
New companies based on different ways of producing human mAbs e.g. kymab,
New companies based on engineering domains e.g. Domantis (now GSK)
Others based on similar principles learnt from antibodies e.g. bicycle therapeutics
2000

18. DNA sequencing Human genome 2001 Fred Sanger Dideoxy chain termination
1953
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2016
Watson and Crick
Structure of DNA
Short RNA
sequencing
Maxam and Gilbert
Chemical cleavage
ABI sequencing
machines
Fluorimetric detection
454 Life Sciences
Solexa  Illumina
‘next-generation sequencing’
technology Pyrosequencing
Oxford Nanopore
Single molecule
sequencing
Portable sequencers
UK pioneered development of early DNA sequencing technologies (LMB contribution e.g. Sanger, method key to human genome project), contributed to1st human genome sequencing, translation to clinic through NHS 100,000 genomes project (5% complete in Aug 2015), pioneering the 3rd generation of sequencing technology development (Oxford nanopore phone-sized portable sequencer, Base4 as another example)
Many additional companies formed to produce and analyse sequence data (e.g. Congenica – see later slide)
Fred Sanger
Dideoxy chain termination
Nobel Prize, 1958 and 1980
bacteriophage
phi X174 DNA 5.3kb
1977
Human genome
2001
100,000 genomes project
NHS rare diseases

19. Funding Science Need good governance
Researchers need stable, reliable funding, coupled with minimal bureaucracy, freedom from an early stage
Also freedom from politicization and intrusion

20. Finally
In science, evidence is what matters, not authority. That is its beauty and strength
This means not caring whether someone dabbling in economic history is a Nobel laureate but looking at the evidence.
We are living in a world in which all sorts of claims are propagated, often with no basis in fact
OED announced “post-truth” as word of the year of 2016
Science is more important than ever