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Britain must be in forefront of "fourth industrial revolution": Business Secretary

Xinhua, January 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

Britain's Business Secretary, the MP Sajid Javid, said Sunday he is to launch a major innovation plan for Britain to herald a new industrial revolution.

Hailing the start of a fourth industrial revolution, Javid said he wants to make Britain a beacon of new ideas and innovation.

In a speech released in London by the government's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Javid said: "Britain has a long and proud history as a hotbed of innovation. We led the Industrial Revolution over 200 years ago when scientific leaps and technological innovations brought enormous economic benefits and dramatic improvements to living standards."

"Today, we are living at a time of rapid technological change with innovations in fields such as big data, robotics, drones and synthetic biology holding the potential to revolutionise the way we work and live our lives - bringing big opportunities for businesses to tap into these lucrative new markets," said Javid.

"We have the talent, skills and potential to be a similarly dominant force in what is being called 'the fourth industrial revolution'," said Javid.

Trailing his forthcoming announcement, Javid said: "In the coming months I will launch a new innovation plan, bringing together the whole of government to support and drive forward innovation."

He said the new plan will be aimed at all levels of business, such as the small company that created solar-power mobile chargers for people in rural communities, to Britain's biggest innovators like its pharmaceutical giants.

"I also want to make the UK the world leader in disruptive and emerging technologies, from graphene to driverless cars," he said.

"When we publish this new innovation plan, the UK will have a clear framework setting out our approach to ensuring we are leading this fourth industrial revolution, just as much as we did the first," he added.

The first Industrial Revolution started in Britain around the mid-1700s and spanned many decades. It saw a transition going from hand production methods to the age of the machine, marking a major turning point in history, with almost every aspect of daily life influenced in some way. Endit