From the world’s first vaccine, to the Human Genome Project, UK scientists have shaped modern medicine.
Edward Jenner’s discovery of a smallpox vaccine in 1798 and Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin 130 years later are just two examples of British scientists’ pioneering work to create lifesaving medicines. Francis Crick and James Watson identified the molecular structure of DNA at Cambridge University, paving the way for researchers to map the human genome.
Today, the UK continues to break new ground in life sciences and is recognised as a world leader in diverse fields including diabetes research, cardiovascular genetics and epidemiology, paediatrics, the genetics of obesity and regenerative medicine. For example, an artificial artery, developed by nanotechnologists at a London hospital, is currently undergoing clinical trials. If successful, this pioneering technology could reduce the risk of heart attacks for thousands of people around the world.
Nearly half of all biotechnology products in the pipeline in Europe were created in the UK, as were a quarter of the world’s top-selling medicines. To find out how you can be part of one of the world’s fastest-growing life sciences markets, visit here
In 1950, the UK hosted the first ever Formula One World Championship – sixty years on, the UK motorsport industry is stronger than ever.
Motorsport Valley in the UK Midlands is a hub of automotive engineering excellence, with more than half of the 2010 Formula One teams based there. Teams like Lotus, which blends classic British engineering with Malaysian investment, embody the very best of international collaboration.
Easy access to highly specialised component manufacturers and engineers underpins the Midlands’ reputation as the home of motorsport. UK motorsport maintains its competitive edge by reinvesting 30 per cent of profits in R&D; much higher than the industry average.
The UK’s key role in motorsport is a magnet for expertise and investment. Groundbreaking innovations by component manufacturers, including lightweight structures and increasingly efficient engines, bring benefits for the automotive industry as a whole.
The UK is a leader in environmentally sensitive racing, investing in the development of LPG, bioethanol and diesel engines and lightweight composite materials, providing solutions to the transport issues of the 21st century.
The UK has a long history of success in aerospace engineering – starting with Royal Air Force Officer Sir Frank Whittle’s joint invention of the jet engine. Many of the UK’s achievements have been built on international collaboration. These include the creation, with France, of Concorde, the supersonic passenger jet, and work with Airbus on civil and defence aviation projects.
Today, the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine is an example of UK innovation meeting the engineering challenges of the 21st Century. World-class fuel efficiency means that the Trent 1000 emits 20 per cent less CO2 than previous generation engines; it is also designed to be quieter than its competitors.
The UK aerospace industry benefits from a highly skilled workforce and annual R&D investment of £2.7bn. In another high-profile example of UK innovation and international collaboration, Virgin Galactic will be the first company to offer commercial passenger flights into space.
In 1990, British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, laying the foundations for the internet as we know it.
Today, the UK is one of the world’s best connected and most sophisticated information and communications technology markets, marrying technical innovation with export success. The UK has high adoption rates for new technology – it’s the biggest broadband market in the G7 and 87 per cent of households receive digital TV.
The presence of some of the world’s leading media and telecoms companies, including the BBC, BSkyB, BT and Vodafone drives innovation, as does the strong market for consumer electronics. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, the UK is one of the countries best placed to succeed in e-business, thanks to government and industry investment in ICT infrastructure.
UK ICT infrastructure is poised to take another big step towards the future as it becomes the first country to switch to a national IP (Internet Protocol) based telephone exchange network. This development, led by BT, will create exciting opportunities for investors and confirm the UK’s position as a key testbed for consumer and business products and services.
Home to one of the world’s oldest stock exchanges, today London is the undisputed financial capital of Europe. More overseas financial institutions and investors choose to do business in and with the UK than any other country.
A unique combination of flexibility, openness and skills underpins the UK’s global position, and it’s this diversity that has allowed London to emerge as the major western gateway for Islamic finance. The western world’s first Islamic bank, The Islamic Bank of Britain, opened in the UK in 2004.
Under Sharia (Islamic law), Muslims are forbidden to earn or pay interest on loans. This can make it impossible to buy a home, for example, using a conventional mortgage. The UK Government supported London’s development as an Islamic finance gateway, by amending certain key financial regulations, to ensure that Muslims in the UK could access financial services.
The availability of Sharia-compliant products in the UK, combined with professional under standing and a favourable regulatory regime also opens London up to overseas investment by Muslims. The UK’s success in this field is reflected by its being the only western country to feature prominently in the global ranking of Sharia-compliant assets.
James Watt invents the steam engine
Edward Jenner discovers the world’s first vaccine, for smallpox
Thomas Telford perfects the suspension bridge
British engineers invent the subway train
James Starley invents the Penny Farthing, the precursor to the modern bicycle
Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone
Joseph Wilson Swan invents the electric light
John Boyd Dunlop patents the pneumatic tyre
The world’s first purpose-built motor-racing circuit opens in Surrey
Aircraft Transport and Travel Ltd, the forerunner to BA, launches the world’s first international scheduled air service, between London and Paris
John Logie Baird invents the world’s first working television system
• Phoenix SEO
UK Trade & Investment : Timeline Of British Innovation
A LEADER IN LIFE SCIENCES
From the world’s first vaccine, to the Human Genome Project, UK scientists have shaped modern medicine.
Edward Jenner’s discovery of a smallpox vaccine in 1798 and Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin 130 years later are just two examples of British scientists’ pioneering work to create lifesaving medicines. Francis Crick and James Watson identified the molecular structure of DNA at Cambridge University, paving the way for researchers to map the human genome.
Today, the UK continues to break new ground in life sciences and is recognised as a world leader in diverse fields including diabetes research, cardiovascular genetics and epidemiology, paediatrics, the genetics of obesity and regenerative medicine. For example, an artificial artery, developed by nanotechnologists at a London hospital, is currently undergoing clinical trials. If successful, this pioneering technology could reduce the risk of heart attacks for thousands of people around the world.
Nearly half of all biotechnology products in the pipeline in Europe were created in the UK, as were a quarter of the world’s top-selling medicines. To find out how you can be part of one of the world’s fastest-growing life sciences markets, visit here
Watch Video
THE HOME OF MOTORSPORT
In 1950, the UK hosted the first ever Formula One World Championship – sixty years on, the UK motorsport industry is stronger than ever.
Motorsport Valley in the UK Midlands is a hub of automotive engineering excellence, with more than half of the 2010 Formula One teams based there. Teams like Lotus, which blends classic British engineering with Malaysian investment, embody the very best of international collaboration.
Easy access to highly specialised component manufacturers and engineers underpins the Midlands’ reputation as the home of motorsport. UK motorsport maintains its competitive edge by reinvesting 30 per cent of profits in R&D; much higher than the industry average.
The UK’s key role in motorsport is a magnet for expertise and investment. Groundbreaking innovations by component manufacturers, including lightweight structures and increasingly efficient engines, bring benefits for the automotive industry as a whole.
The UK is a leader in environmentally sensitive racing, investing in the development of LPG, bioethanol and diesel engines and lightweight composite materials, providing solutions to the transport issues of the 21st century.
Watch Video
TAKING FLIGHT
The UK has a long history of success in aerospace engineering – starting with Royal Air Force Officer Sir Frank Whittle’s joint invention of the jet engine. Many of the UK’s achievements have been built on international collaboration. These include the creation, with France, of Concorde, the supersonic passenger jet, and work with Airbus on civil and defence aviation projects.
Today, the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine is an example of UK innovation meeting the engineering challenges of the 21st Century. World-class fuel efficiency means that the Trent 1000 emits 20 per cent less CO2 than previous generation engines; it is also designed to be quieter than its competitors.
The UK aerospace industry benefits from a highly skilled workforce and annual R&D investment of £2.7bn. In another high-profile example of UK innovation and international collaboration, Virgin Galactic will be the first company to offer commercial passenger flights into space.
GLOBAL CONNECTIONS
In 1990, British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, laying the foundations for the internet as we know it.
Today, the UK is one of the world’s best connected and most sophisticated information and communications technology markets, marrying technical innovation with export success. The UK has high adoption rates for new technology – it’s the biggest broadband market in the G7 and 87 per cent of households receive digital TV.
The presence of some of the world’s leading media and telecoms companies, including the BBC, BSkyB, BT and Vodafone drives innovation, as does the strong market for consumer electronics. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, the UK is one of the countries best placed to succeed in e-business, thanks to government and industry investment in ICT infrastructure.
UK ICT infrastructure is poised to take another big step towards the future as it becomes the first country to switch to a national IP (Internet Protocol) based telephone exchange network. This development, led by BT, will create exciting opportunities for investors and confirm the UK’s position as a key testbed for consumer and business products and services.
OPENING UP NEW MARKETS
Home to one of the world’s oldest stock exchanges, today London is the undisputed financial capital of Europe. More overseas financial institutions and investors choose to do business in and with the UK than any other country.
A unique combination of flexibility, openness and skills underpins the UK’s global position, and it’s this diversity that has allowed London to emerge as the major western gateway for Islamic finance. The western world’s first Islamic bank, The Islamic Bank of Britain, opened in the UK in 2004.
Under Sharia (Islamic law), Muslims are forbidden to earn or pay interest on loans. This can make it impossible to buy a home, for example, using a conventional mortgage. The UK Government supported London’s development as an Islamic finance gateway, by amending certain key financial regulations, to ensure that Muslims in the UK could access financial services.
The availability of Sharia-compliant products in the UK, combined with professional under standing and a favourable regulatory regime also opens London up to overseas investment by Muslims. The UK’s success in this field is reflected by its being the only western country to feature prominently in the global ranking of Sharia-compliant assets.
James Watt invents the steam engine
Edward Jenner discovers the world’s first vaccine, for smallpox
Thomas Telford perfects the suspension bridge
British engineers invent the subway train
James Starley invents the Penny Farthing, the precursor to the modern bicycle
Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone
Joseph Wilson Swan invents the electric light
John Boyd Dunlop patents the pneumatic tyre
The world’s first purpose-built motor-racing circuit opens in Surrey
Aircraft Transport and Travel Ltd, the forerunner to BA, launches the world’s first international scheduled air service, between London and Paris
John Logie Baird invents the world’s first working television system
Frank Whittle designs the jet engine
Case study
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin, leading to the development of antibiotics
First Formula One World Championship held at Silverstone
Case study
Double-helix structure of DNA discovered by James Crick and Francis Watson at Cambridge University
Case study
A British plane achieved the world’s first automatic landing carrying passengers
The world’s first supersonic passenger flight services were launched simultaneously by British Airways and Air France
Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web
Jonathan Ive designs the iPod
British Airways introduces the world’s first fully flat bed in business class
UK engineers develop Hawk-Eye – the advanced sports technology system
The Islamic Bank of Britain was the first to trade in Islamic finance in the western world
Islamic Finance
Intelligent Energy develop the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell motorbike
Virgin launches the world’s first commercial space tourism company
British nanoscientists trial the world’s first artificial artery
The UK’s inspiring Seed Cathedral Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010.