ISIS was formally inaugurated and named on Tuesday 1 October 1985 by the then Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Margaret Thatcher FRS MP.
Arriving at 10:25, she met VIPs including Sir Keith Joseph, Dr Geoff Manning, Dr Godfrey Stafford and Dr Gerry Pickavance plus Science Ministers from Italy, Luxembourg and Spain.
Audio of opening address by William (Bill) Mitchell (Chairman of SERC), Geoff Manning (Director of RAL), Prime Minister Thatcher and Sir John Kingman (Vice-Chancellor of Bristol University).
Audio of press conference. (Tape deteriorates half way through.)