The government last week appointed IBM's Hursley Laboratory director Graham Spittle as the first chair of its Technology Strategy Board.

The independent board will be in charge of developing the government's tech strategy and has £320m at its disposal with which to fund "key technology areas" between 2005 and 2008 - particularly those relating to business within government. According to the blurb: "The national Technology Strategy Board will identify technology priorities crucial to growth of the UK economy, matching business needs with what science has to offer. Funding will be delivered through regular competitions using two of the new business support products: Collaborative Research and Development and Knowledge Transfer Networks."

Spittle has been with IBM since 1985. He's currently in charge of "the technical direction, product development and delivery to the marketplace of IBM's business integration products worldwide". The minister for science and innovation Lord Sainsbury praised him as a man with "the experience, enthusiasm and knowledge to get the Board up and running and to bring real value to UK science and innovation strategy".

More info on the government's technology programme here. ®

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