BT at Adastral Park – Making innovation happen. An exclusive interview with Phil Dance and Dr Ivan Boyd BT.

1. BT at Adastral Park –
Making innovation happen
Dr Ivan Boyd (left) and Phil Dance
The East of England: An exclusive interview with
G
G
A dynamic technology cluster;
Access to globally valued research;
Phil Dance and Dr Ivan Boyd BT
G A highly experienced skills base;
G Potential for strong market growth; BT at Adastral Park is recognised worldwide as a leading centre
G A well-established supply chain;
G A lower-cost base for European operations for innovation, an accolade demonstrated by its portfolio
within easy reach of London, the rest of the of groundbreaking technologies over the years.
UK and the Continent.
Phil Dance, managing director for technology exploitation,
and Dr Ivan Boyd, head of research operations, share news
of the latest developments at Adastral Park, both for BT and
the wider community.
‘Innovation started early at Adastral Park,’ says Phil Dance.
‘The site has seen the development of many cutting-edge
technologies which have transformed our lives. For example, the
first digital telephone was invented here, the first SMS sent and
the world’s first fully automated “spam buster” created.
‘Our mission is for everyone to access communications more
easily, more quickly and more cheaply. It’s about providing our
customers with the latest technology to deliver what they need,
Business support funded by the
East of England Development Agency
both at work and at home, for today and the future.’
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2. BT at Adastral Park –
Making innovation happen
Dr Ivan Boyd underlines the importance of research in achieving ‘There is also a unique opportunity for innovative collaboration
this objective. He says: ‘As the UK’s fourth-largest research and among companies located here, sharing technologies
development (R&D) spender, BT employs a team of 300 highly- and expertise.’
qualified and skilled people working on a range of innovations
including networks, mobility and broadband. In 2008, BT It is this “open innovation” environment that will ensure that
invested £1.25 billion in R&D and we have a patent portfolio BT at Adastral Park continues to be a driver of the local and
of over 7,000. regional economy and remains globally competitive. Dr Ivan
Boyd concludes: ‘Significant revenue is raised from licensing
and venturing activities and BT is widely recognised for its best
‘BT is committed to open innovation as
practice in IP exploitation and accelerating gains from research.
an economy booster and we are working We have effectively “spun-out” eight companies since 2001.
to encourage greater collaboration between However licensing is not just about revenue. BT creates the
outlet for research, produces the first product and then other
the public and private sectors and academic companies can sell it on, whether it is an ICT network,
institutions to achieve this. multimedia, operational support systems, speech
or mobility technology.’
‘We believe in taking the research and developing it into
products and services to benefit our customers. To make this
happen, we have a number of different functions within our
business: our Innovation Central team translates technology KEY FACTS
into business benefits, our Applied Technology Centre brings
technology and research to life through advanced prototyping G BT is a key contributor to the local economy in the East
and the Engage customer innovation programme uses BT’s of England, supporting 4,000 jobs at Adastral Park and
innovation capabilities to help our global customers address generating over £800 million a year. Globally, the company
their business challenges.' serves 170 countries, adding a new city to its network every
seven days. It has a long history of innovation, witnessing
BT is also demonstrating an innovative approach in some of the world’s first technological breakthroughs:
its responsibility to the local community with plans to the first SMS, the first digital telephone and the world’s
redevelop 130,000 sq m of existing and 60,000 sq m of new first “spam buster”.
floorspace at Adastral Park into state-of-the-art facilities for
hi-tech businesses. The plans are for a 21st century G BT is the UK’s fourth-largest spender in R&D, investing
sustainable community. £1.25 billion last year and employing 300 highly-qualified
researchers. Approximately 110 new patents are filed
Phil Dance continues: ‘We are committed to refreshing each year.
and refurbishing the Park, creating new jobs and homes
side-by-side, expanding our university presence and enhancing G As a company it is committed to open innovation,
links with the universities already here. The objective is encouraging collaboration between the public and private
to increase the number of jobs on-site by 2,000 over the next sectors and academia. It is also involved in licensing and
10 years. We also recognise the need to fill the positions with venturing activities and is widely recognised for its best
skilled people, and to ensure this happens, BT is now working practice in IP.
with universities and schools to increase information
communications technology (ICT) skills. G Innovation extends to BT’s approach to the community in
which Adastral Park is located and its plan to create a 21st
‘At Adastral Park there are already more than 25 non-BT century sustainable development, with new jobs and homes
companies which have chosen the location for the facilities and side by side. This is alongside an initiative to refurbish and
the attraction of the East of England as a place to live and work. develop workspace for hi-tech companies.
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09/09 Copyright July 2009