Abstract
In this, the inaugural Finninston Lecture a plea is made for recognition of the vital importance of a strong scientific and technological base to the long term health of the British economy. The contributions made by Sir Monty Finniston, as Head of the Metallurgy Division at AERE Harwell from 1948 to 1958, to the UK nuclear energy programme are used as an illustration of this theme. Of particular note was his role as a champion of applied scientific research – that is, basic research aimed at a specific application – and there is today an even greater need for powerful defence of such activities against the short term financial criteria applied by government and the City.
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