8.1 Government should launch a national programme for Advanced Information Technology. This should be a collaborative effort between industry, the academic sector and other research organisations, with Government backing.
8.2 The programme should cover basic research and design tools in four key enabling technologies: software engineering, VLSI, man-machine interfaces and intelligent knowledge based systems. The programme should also include the provision of a communications infrastructure. The programme is specified in detail in Section 4.
8.3 Education and training measures are required to provide the manpower for the technical programme and for the results of this programme to be exploited and used. These measures are detailed in Section 7.
8.4 Government should provide 100 per cent funding for academic research and education, and for infrastructure components of the programme; and should provide some 60 per cent of the total funds for industrial work, the exact amount varying from 90 per cent to 50 per cent depending upon the particular activity. Industry should provide the balance of funds needed for the programme, and should finance commercial exploitation, supported by existing Government schemes. The programme is costed in Section 5.
8.5 Property rights arising from any industrial research 90 per cent Government funded should belong to the companies conducting the research, but they should be required to make the results available to other UK companies. Property rights arising from work 50 per cent Government funded should belong to the companies involved in these projects. If they do not intend to exploit commercially they should be required to transfer these rights to Government. Industrial property rights are examined in detail in Section 6.
8.6 The programme should be managed as a coherent entity by a new Directorate, which should be set up in DOI for this purpose. The Directorate should be supervised by, and be accountable to, the EARB, which should be restructured for this task. The Directorate should be given the mandate to implement the programme and have the necessary powers and resources to achieve this. It should operate chiefly by placing prime contracts on other organisations. The management of the programme is described in Section 6.
8.7 Government funding for the programme should be provided by DOI, MOD and SERC. Arrangements should be made for these departments to be involved in the management and supervision of the programme.
8.8 The programme should be viewed as lasting 5-10 years. However, there should be detailed annual targets and regular reviews of performance and requirements. The decision to continue should be taken in the light of these.
8.9 The Directorate should encourage early and widespread commercial exploitation of the results of the programme not least by the small business sector. Exploitation should not be restricted to companies participating in the programme.
8.10 The programme should be implemented immediately to safeguard the future competitiveness of the UK IT industry. The first step is to set up the Directorate so that detailed planning and the letting of contracts can commence. The programme should go live in April 1983.
