In my statement of 1 November 2006 I said that I expected the Technology Strategy Board to be formally inaugurated in the first half of the 2007-08 financial year.

Following the sealing on 27 March of the Royal Charter establishing and incorporating the new body, I am today announcing that the new body will become operational as an executive non-departmental public body from 1 July.

I am also announcing the appointment of 11 board members for the governing body of the new Technology Strategy Board.

The newly-appointed board members are Graeme Armstrong, Nick Buckland, John Brown, Joseph Feczko, Anne Glover, David Grant, Jonathan Kestenbaum, Julia King, Andrew Milligan, Jeremy Watson and Peter Ringrose. Five of the 11 were Board members of the advisory Technology Strategy Board who have been appointed to serve on the new body, and six are new appointments.

The Technology Strategy Board will take on legal responsibility for delivery of a number of technology and innovation support activities from DTI. It will promote and support research, development and the exploitation of science, technology and new ideas to benefit business, increase economic growth and improve the quality of life in the UK. It will be responsible for delivering Government support to encourage business investment in technology and innovation across all sectors of the UK economy. It will deliver this in a range of ways, including Collaborative R and D, Knowledge Transfer Networks, Innovation Platforms and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. It will also advise Government on areas where barriers exist to the exploitation of new technologies, and put forward recommendations as to how they can be removed.