Research and development Available to Purchase

The IT industry in the UK, and thus by reduction the information content‐orientated industries which create the services and products used in the IT environment in homes, laboratories and offices, live in highly competitive times. The information industry is by definition a global industry, and increasingly the research and development of new products is seen upon a global basis. The continued development of a world communication system, with satellite links between concentrations of product and service implementation, ensures that this is the case. The major information economies of the USA and Japan strive for leadership in this environment. While not competitive in that league, the UK information economy is examined by government and industry alike to ensure that we have in the UK what it takes to establish a large indigenous information industry, creating high levels of information service employment and creating considerable export potential. Yet, while the American Information Industry Association (IIA) has recently appointed a Director of Globalisation, the UK industry remains more on the defensive than the offensive. Research and development activity has plateaued in most sectors and fallen in some, while government contributions overall are planned to fall dramatically. There was never a better time to look at the future of the information industry: research and development is the key to that future.