Science and technology in the United Kingdom

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

A Watt steam engine, which powered the Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom and played a key role in it becoming the world's first industrialised nation[note 1]

Science and technology in the United Kingdom has a long history, producing many important figures and developments in the field. Major theorists from the

gravity have been seen as a keystone of modern science and Charles Darwin whose theory of evolution by natural selection was fundamental to the development of modern biology. Major scientific discoveries include hydrogen by Henry Cavendish, penicillin by Alexander Fleming, and the structure of DNA, by Francis Crick and others. Major engineering projects and applications pursued by people from the United Kingdom include the steam locomotive developed by Richard Trevithick and Andrew Vivian, the jet engine by Frank Whittle and the World Wide Web by Tim Berners-Lee
. The United Kingdom continues to play a major role in the development of science and technology and major technological sectors include the aerospace, motor and pharmaceutical industries.

Important advances made by British people

Sir Isaac Newton (1643–1727) with his important contributions to classical physics and mathematics

England and Scotland were leading centres of the Scientific Revolution from the 17th century[1] and the United Kingdom led the Industrial Revolution from the 18th century,[2] and has continued to produce scientists and engineers credited with important advances.[3] Some of the major theories, discoveries and applications advanced by people from the United Kingdom are given below.

theory of evolution by natural selection is the foundation of modern biological sciences[14]

Technology-based industries

The Airbus A380 has wings and engines manufactured in the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom plays a leading part in the

GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca, ranked in the top five pharmaceutical companies in the world by sales in 2009[27] and UK companies have discovered and developed more leading medicines than any other country apart from the US.[28] The UK remains a leading centre of automotive design and production, particularly of engines, and has around 2,600 component manufacturers.[29] Investment by venture capital firms in UK technology companies was $9.7 billion from 2010 to 2015.[30]

The UK is one of only 3 nations with $1trillion technology industry.

Scientific research

A Welsh Government short video of science in Wales

Scientific research and development remains important in British universities, with many establishing

British Medical Journal and The Lancet
.

Britain was one of the largest recipients of research funding from the European Union. From 2007 to 2013, the UK received €8.8 billion out of a total of €107 billion expenditure on research, development and innovation in EU Member States, associated and third countries. At the time, this represented the fourth largest share in the EU.[34] The European Research Council granted 79 projects funding in the UK in 2017, more than any other EU country.[35][36] The United Kingdom was ranked fourth in the Global Innovation Index 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.[37]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Watt steam engine image: located in the lobby of into the Superior Technical School of Industrial Engineers of the UPM (Madrid)
  2. ^ Alexander Graham Bell, born and raised in Scotland, made a number of inventions as a British citizen, notably the telephone in 1876; he did not become an American citizen until 1882, and then spent the remaining years of his life predominately living in Canada at a summer residence.

References

  1. , p. 248.
  2. ^ "European Countries – United Kingdom". Europa (web portal). Retrieved 15 December 2010.
  3. ^ E. E. Reynolds and N. H. Brasher, Britain in the Twentieth Century, 1900–1964 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1966), p. 336.
  4. . p. 192.
  5. , p. 207.
  6. .
  7. , pp. 33–6.
  8. ^ , p. 238.
  9. ^ Ackroyd, J.A.D. Sir George Cayley, the father of Aeronautics Notes Rec. R. Soc. Lond. 56 (2), 167–181 (2002). Retrieved: 29 May 2010.
  10. .
  11. ^ Hubbard, Geoffrey (1965) Cooke and Wheatstone and the Invention of the Electric Telegraph, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London p. 78
  12. ^ The electric telegraph, forerunner of the internet, celebrates 170 years BT Group Connected Earth Online Museum - Retrieved March 2010
  13. .
  14. ^ , p. 46.
  15. , p. 30.
  16. .
  17. ^ "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1945 Sir Alexander Fleming, Ernst B. Chain, Sir Howard Florey", Nobelprize.org, archived from the original on 23 June 2011.
  18. ^ "John Logie Baird (1888–1946)", BBC History, archived from the original on 21 June 2011.
  19. ^ The World's First High Definition Colour Television System McLean, p. 196.
  20. The Nobel Foundation
    . Retrieved 2007-11-24.
  21. ^ , p. 121.
  22. ^ "Sir Christopher Sydney Cockerell" Archived 2008-07-06 at the Wayback Machine, Hovercraft Museum, retrieved 24 June 2011.
  23. , p. 56.
  24. ^ Griffiths, Martin (20070501) physicsworld.com The Tale of the Blog's Boson Retrieved on 2008-05-27.
  25. , p. 16.
  26. ^ webfoundation.org/.../history-of-the-web
  27. ^ "IMS Health" (PDF), IMS Health, archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2011.
  28. ^ "The Pharmaceutical sector in the UK", The National Archives, 8 August 2007, archived from the original on 7 August 2007.
  29. ^ "Automotive industry", Department of Business Innovation and Skills, archived from the original on 2 July 2011.
  30. ^ "UK tech firms smash venture capital funding record". London & Partners. 6 January 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  31. , pp. 98–100.
  32. (PDF) from the original on 23 June 2011.
  33. ^ MacLeod, Donald (March 21, 2006). "Britain Second in World Research Rankings". The Guardian. London. Retrieved May 14, 2006.
  34. ^ "How much research funding does the UK get from the EU and how does this compare with other countries?". Royal Society. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  35. ^ "Boost for hopes of post-Brexit co-operation as EU awards Britain more research grants than anywhere else". The Telegraph. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  36. ^ "ERC Starting Grants 2017" (PDF). European Research Council. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  37. doi:10.34667/tind.46596. Retrieved 2022-11-16.; "Global Innovation Index 2021". World Intellectual Property Organization. United Nations. Retrieved 5 March 2022.; "Release of the Global Innovation Index 2020: Who Will Finance Innovation?". World Intellectual Property Organization. Retrieved 2 September 2021.; "Global Innovation Index 2019". World Intellectual Property Organization. Retrieved 2 September 2021.; "RTD – Item"
    . ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 2 September 2021.