Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

The Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government, Professor Sir David King has been an outspoken voice on the issues of sustainable development and climate change, the two main focuses of the UK's presidency of the G8 during 2005.

Describing his role, Prof Sir David said: “I'm personally responsible to the Prime Minister for this very broad ranging business of science across all aspects of government. I have a licence to interfere. I have interfered, as is well-known, and I believe this is well recognised to be a good thing – at least it's recognised as such after I've done the interfering.”

He recently published an influential paper in Nature, highlighting the role that indigenous scientific capability could and should play in solving some of the problems inherent in the developing world. His research showed that the poorest 160 of the world's 190 countries were responsible for a meagre 2 per cent of scientific output globally, showing that scientific wealth is even more unevenly distributed than “pound wealth.”

He said: “If we look at Africa, the latest figures indicate that the African continent is losing net 100,000 skilled people in science, technology, medicine and nursing to the North every year. A net loss from Africa. This is negative capacity building.”

Prof Sir David King was appointed as the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of the Office of Science and Technology in October 2000 and is also the 1920 Professor of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge.

A company producing a ‘supervaccine’ for the Pentagon that would protect troops and citizens against seven deadly forms of germ warfare; a young firm with new sterilisation technology to fight the MRSA superbug in hospitals, dental, GP and vets’ surgeries; a fast-growing farmers’ co-operative; a pioneer of internet radio; Britain’s sole surviving manufacturer of steam turbines – now 137 years old and pushing into fuel cell and related technologies – these are just a sample of the companies in the running for major honours at the Business Awards next week.