In this first contribution of the day Lord Bilimoria speaks in the debate for amendment 166 stresses the importance of having individuals from a business background, especially a science based business background as it aids in understanding the importance of innovation.
Higher Education and Research Bill
15 March 2017
Moved Baroness Brown:
Discussion of Amendment 166
Schedule 9, page 105, line 16, at end insert—
“( ) In the case of Innovate UK, the Council must have a non-executive Chair, and the non-executive Chair and the majority of the Council members must be from science-related business backgrounds.”
Lord Bilimoria:
My Lords, in relation to Amendment 166, I want to emphasise again the importance of having individuals from a business background because, all too often with these initiatives, the Government have the best of intentions but there are people involved who do not have experience in business and have not run businesses, and it is when you run businesses that you realise that innovation and creativity are at the heart of it. I would go further and say that they must come from science-related business backgrounds. Any good business has to be innovative. In my industry—food and drink—you have to be innovative. But the key issue here is having people with business backgrounds at the top table.