Royal Academy of Engineering -Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering- new £1million global award for engineering that benefits humanity
Chris Hodrien
17 November 2011
http://www.raeng.org.uk/prizes/qeprize/default.htm
The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering:
new £1million global award for engineering that benefits humanity
The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering is launched today (Thursday 17
November) to enthusiastic support from the engineering profession,
engineering industry and across the main political parties for its mission
to identify and celebrate an outstanding advance in engineering that has
created significant benefit to humanity.
The £1 million Prize will be awarded biennially in the name of Her Majesty
The Queen to an individual or team of up to three people, of any
nationality, directly responsible for advancing the application of
engineering knowledge.
As well as recognising and celebrating the best, the Prize will provide an
unparalleled opportunity to demonstrate how engineers and engineering are
making a real difference across the world.
The Prize is the result of a growing realisation in the worlds of business,
engineering and policy of the need for a pioneering initiative based in the
UK to focus attention on engineering worldwide. A number of major
engineering companies have donated to an endowment fund, which is being
managed by an independent charitable trust, the Queen Elizabeth Prize for
Engineering Foundation, chaired by Lord Browne of Madingley FREng FRS. The
Royal Academy of Engineering will deliver the Prize on behalf of the trust.
As well as the search for the winner, the Prize will provide a high-profile,
global communications platform to explore the breadth, creativity and impact
of engineering of all kinds around the world.
Lord Browne said: "Engineering underpins every aspect of our lives. As the
bridge between scientific discovery and commercial application, engineering
feeds and clothes us, and enables us to work, travel and communicate. But
too often the engineers behind the most brilliant innovations remain hidden.
The Queen Elizabeth Prize aims to change that. It will celebrate, on an
international scale, the very best engineering in the world. I believe that
this prize will inspire the public, especially young people, with a sense of
the excitement and the importance of engineering."
Speaking at the launch event, The Prime Minister, the Rt Hon David Cameron
MP, said: "I am delighted that the Queen has put her name to this
prestigious prize, which I hope will carry the same stature as the Nobel
Prizes and I want to thank the Royal Academy of Engineering and the prize
sponsors for making this happen."
"For too long Britain's economy has been over-reliant on consumer debt and
financial services. We want to rebalance the economy so that Britain makes
things again - high skilled high value manufacturing and engineering should
be a central part of our long term future. I hope this prize will go some
way to inspire and excite young people about engineering, so that they dream
of becoming engineers as they once did in the age of Stephenson and Brunel."
The Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP, said: "This Prize flies
in the face of the myth that engineering is a part of Britain's past. It's
true that we have a proud record - a nation historically at the forefront of
scientific breakthroughs and the vanguard of design. But engineering is just
as much a part of our future - at the heart of a new economy driven by
invention and innovation. The Queen Elizabeth Prize will draw the eyes of
the engineering world to Britain. We are bringing engineering home'.
The Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, Leader of the Opposition, said "Britain has been
home to some of the world's great engineering feats, from the Iron Bridge in
Telford to British involvement in mapping the human genome. But we now face
huge global challenges in the future ranging from climate change and famine
to an ageing population in the West. Just as engineering has helped us meet
the big challenges in the past, it will be engineering that helps us meet
these new challenges."
Sir John Parker FREng, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering and a
trustee of the Prize Foundation, said "This is a once in a generation
opportunity to create a major shift in public perception of engineering. The
products of engineering are everywhere, but too often the engineering and
engineers behind even the most brilliant innovations remain hidden from
public view. So the sheer excitement and creativity of professional
engineering often do not get recognised, let alone celebrated.
"The search for the winning project will provide a platform to explore the
best innovation in engineering across the world and inspire the public,
especially young people, about the potential of engineering on a global
scale."
ends
Notes for editors
1. Prize delivery
The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation has been established to
oversee delivery of the Prize.
The Foundation is chaired by Lord Browne of Madingley whose fellow trustees
are Sir John Parker, President of The Royal Academy of Engineering; Sir Paul
Nurse, President of the Royal Society and Ms Mala Gaonkar, Managing Director
of Lone Pine Capital. The Government Chief Scientist, Professor Sir John
Beddington, has accepted an invitation to be adviser to the Foundation.
The day-to-day running of the Prize will be handled by the Royal Academy of
Engineering. Ms Anji Hunter has been appointed Director of the Prize.
2. Prize donors
An initial endowment has been established with support from the following
companies: BAE Systems, BG Group, BP, GlaxoSmithKline, Jaguar Land Rover,
National Grid, Shell, Siemens, Sony, Tata Consultancy Services and Tata
Steel.
3. Judging
The trust is appointing an international, expert judging panel, whose names
will be announced at the same time as the call for nominations, in February
2012.
4. Next steps
Key milestones include:
o Appointment of international judging panel February 2012
o Call for nominations February 2012
o Nominations closed July 2012
o Announcement of Prize winner December 2012
o Major award event Spring 2013
5. What next?
Over the coming weeks, more details will be provided on all aspects of the
Prize, culminating in the call for nominations in February 2012. Details
will be available on the Prize webpages (from 17 November 2011):
www.raeng.org.uk/QEprize
For more information please contact:
Jane Sutton, tel. 020 7766 0636; email: Jane Sutton
<http://www.raeng.org.uk/about/contact/contact.htm?a=jane.sutton&d=default&s
=>
or Lesley Paterson, tel. 020 7766 0684; email: Lesley Paterson
<http://www.raeng.org.uk/about/contact/contact.htm?a=lesley.paterson&d=defau
lt&s=>
or Ed Holmes, tel. 020 7766 0655; email: Ed Holmes
<http://www.raeng.org.uk/about/contact/contact.htm?a=ed.holmes&d=default&s=>
+see media comment at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financevideo/8896638/Will-Britain-ever-wi
n-the-Queen-Elizabeth-Prize-for-Engineering.html
http://news.sky.com/home/business/article/16112032