§ 25. Mr. Ian StewartTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures her Department is taking to improve communication between business and research base organisations. [19894]
§ Mr. BattleOne of the key aims of the Government is to maximise the benefits from our research base, whose excellence is widely recognised.
306WWe have already made a number of announcements since the election demonstrating our commitment in this area, for example the establishment of four new Faraday Partnerships, the extension of TCS (the Teaching Company Scheme) and the Foresight LINK Awards.
The President of the Board of Trade has also instituted the President's Partnership Prize as an accolade to those universities who have achieved high levels of success in applying the results of their research to commercial problems.
I am considering, as part of the Department's Comprehensive Spending Review, what more can be done to improve interaction between business and the science, engineering and technology base.