According to the annual Financial Times economists’ survey, Britain’s recovery is secure and set to continue throughout 2015. One of the little-advertised but important factors in this recovery is the role of UK companies in advanced technologies. Across sectors including healthcare, transport, and defence, companies from the UK are at the forefront of new research, development, and production.
The Bio Industry Association (BIA), a trade body for biotechnology, places the UK in the top three nations in the world for the development of biotechnology. A noteworthy example is the drug Humira, a tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-inhibiting anti-inflammatory drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Developed by UK company Cambridge Antibody Technology (which has since become part of British multinational AstraZeneca), Humira is predicted by EvaluatePharma’s World Preview to become the world’s top drug by 2016.
In the transport industry, Worcestershire-based company GKN Aerospace produces pioneering aviation technology for enhancing aerodynamics. It is currently leading an advanced winglet development project aimed at creating a new, innovative winglet design. Boeing, one of the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers, has selected GKN to manufacture the winglets for its new flagship family of airplanes, the 737 MAX.
Meanwhile, in the military sector, the Ministry of Defence has awarded a five-year synthetic training contract to UK technology company QinetiQ. The company’s flight simulation training will includes its ground-breaking DSALT2 programme, which enables trainees across the UK to train together in the same mission, in real time, with coalition partners across the globe.
“Simulation and synthetic training is an extremely important part of training our modern Armed Forces. . . . The ability to practice and train in highly realistic but safe environments is a vital, life-saving capability essential to effective mission preparation,” said an MoD spokesman.
On the subject of saving lives, Formula One guru Max Mosley’s pioneering work in the field of motorsport safety has done just that. As president of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), in the mid-1990s he began to make important technological changes. He reduced engine capacity; redesigned circuits, introduced grooved tyres to reduce cornering speeds, and ensured more thorough crash-testing of cars’ chassis.
A former amateur driver, Mosley competed in the 1968 Formula Two race at Hockenheim, in which double World Champion Jim Clark was killed. He also saw Piers Courage and Chris Lambert, his 1968 team-mates, killed in racing accidents. When he became FIA president in 1993, Mosley’s major concern was improving safety in the sport. Despite stepping down as FIA president in 2009, he continues to express this concern, judging by Max’s comments on driver Jules Bianchi’s crash in October last year. He has stated that his greatest achievement as FIA boss was to make F1 racing much safer.
The UK is struggling in some industries, falling behind the likes of China, the Far East, and Australasia in the manufacturing of textiles and commodities. However, on the bright side, with all of these pioneering examples, UK companies and individuals have become major players in the development and production of advanced technologies.