Programme Speakers
Ian Harrison
Key Business Technologies Directorate helps firms to become more competitive by alerting them to the importance of new and emerging technologies and offering services that promote industrial innovation and the adoption of best practice. The Directorate works closely with OST and the Research Councils; the European Commission; and science and technology contacts in many countries, together with a wide range of UK intermediaries and research organisations.
Ian Harrison is responsible for management of cross-sectoral innovation services in the UK, including: Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and STEP: products to enable newly qualified people and undergraduates to take new ideas into businesses; Faraday Partnerships, which encourage knowledge transfer between the UK science, engineering and technology base and industry: and responsibility for co-ordinating DTI input into the management of other programmes (eg the Higher Education Innovation Fund and LINK); the GlobalWatch Service and the UK contribution to the Eureka! Programme to promote international collaboration in knowledge transfer; the promotion of the EU Framework programme to UK business.
Ian Harrison qualified as a hydrogeologist and has previously worked for the British Geological Survey and as recruitment manager for the Scientific Civil Service before joining DTI in 1986.
His DTI career has involved improving civil benefit from defence R&D; establishing the DTI’s Environment Unit and Innovation Unit; responsibility for advanced manufacturing, and the DTI’s programmes to assist uptake of technologies from the UK science base.
He is currently Honorary Secretary of the R&D Society (www.rdsoc.org); a Chartered Geologist and Corporate Member of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management.
