Member Article

Clockwork Radio inventor comes to North East

The inventor of the clockwork radio has visited the region in a bid to try and encourage more people to bring their own ideas to market.

Speaking at an event at Newcastle City Library, Trevor Baylis OBE focused on his concerns surrounding the neglect of invention in the UK.

“Most of us have a good idea - we think to ourselves, it must have been done before, do nothing about it, and a few months or years later see it in a shop window and say to themselves ‘Cor Blimey I wish I’d done something about that’.” He said.

Mr Baylis also called for more recognition to be given to individuals who come up with innovative ideas which can be of real benefit to the UK economy.

He commented: “You have Bachelors of Arts, Bachelors of Science - I think you should have a Bachelor of Invention, which is judged on what you do in business, rather than in academia.

“We have to respect those ordinary people who have the most amazing ability to change all of our lives, both socially and commercially and I’m determined to promote that.”

Taking a more traditional approach to innovation, Mr Baylis encouraged schools and universities to go ‘back to basics’, when teaching people the skills necessary to promote invention and innovation.

“When I was a very small child, my father taught me to use a Meccano set. I could make amazing things even before I could write my name.

“Since then, the computer has become an essential part of many peoples lies, but they must also learn how to cut a piece of wood if they are going to succeed.”

He also offered a word of caution to would-be inventors, encouraging them to be aware of the difficulties which the could face when marketing their idea.

“What we’ve got to do it make sure all students understand exactly what intellectual property is. Because of that they don’t know about disclosure.” Mr Baylis added.

“I want the theft of I.P. to become a white collar crime - if someone steals an idea which could be worth billions of pounds to this nation and yourself.”

The event, which is part of Newcastle Science City’s ‘The Science of’ series also saw Professor James Hayton, the David Goldman Professor of Innovation and Enterprise at Newcastle University speak about the influence of intangible assets such as culture and human capital on the innovation process.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .