2 Responses to ‘Innovation chain’ of EU innovation policy is inherently broken »»

1. Edward Bergman
   Comment by Edward Bergman | 2010/06/02 at 12:16:32

   The example given by Dr. Hill reinforces the importance–not irrelevance–of university-based inventors. It was the scientific curiosity of Jack Kilby and his university’s supportive infrastructure that underpinned his “hobby”, which is exactly the same for many, perhaps most, scientific disclosures or discoveries. He surely was “not asked by Texas Instruments or his university to invent it”, which is nearly always the case for inventions produced by university scientists. Nor are such scientists “independent” as Dr. Hill suggests: rather, they are highly dependent upon the infrastructure, networks, colleagues and students that comprise our best research universities to help nurture and incubate their seminal ideas.

   To suggest otherwise is to draw attention away from the need for vitally important support and encouragement of Europe’s best scientists, precisely those who have the most to contribute to economic and social innovations.

2. Dr David Hill
   Comment by Dr David Hill | 2010/07/21 at 18:28:46

   Edward Bergman

   Like so many you have not read the fundamentals of the history and science and technology. I was in communication with Jack Kilby just three months before his passing. His university did not help him in any way whatsoever and even Texas Instruments at the time were not interested. It was during a two-week shut down at TI as a new recruit that he was given the opportunity to create his invention on his own, no help from any others, that he produced his prototype. When TI came back from their holidays they were not even interested in what Jack had done. It took TI several years to determine what a hot potato that they were sitting on.

   Ray Tomlinson was the same at a division of Verizon. He was stalled at having to walk literally miles every day to his colleagues in a large h.t. plant. So he decided not Verizon to invent something that would make life easy for himself. That was the email. It took Verizon 5-years to determine again what a world beating piece of kit that they were sat on.

   Tim Berners-Lee was the same and was only on a 6 month commission to work for the CERN. It was not the CERN that said please invent the WWW but Berners-Lee who finalised his private work whilst at CERN. No help there either other than that he had a job at CERN.

   The above examples of countless is why people are so naive and do not even realise that the fundamental thinking was in the sole domain of certain minds and not forced through by either universities or advanced corporate R&D centres. I just wish people would read the real stories of how our greatest inventions were created instead of having this false belief that our illustrious universities and corporations are the enlightened ones. Nothing could be further away from the truth. For they take over when the fundamental thinking by others has been released and not before.

   Baird and the TV is another fine example and where university or corporate laboratory had nothing to do with the fundamental invention of the television. Frank Whittle and the jet engine where no one would listen to him for 10 years until WW” was inevitable. The list simply goes on and on and on and on….with no end if people will simply read and research into the real truth !

   Please do some reading all those who believe in elitism for that is not where enlightenment occurs.

   Dr David Hill
   Executive Director
   World Innovation Foundation Charity
   Bern, Switzerland

Leave a Reply »»