	Article Directory		Article Submission Service		Article Marketing Blog		Publishers		Member Log In

Article Directory :: Travel & Leisure Articles

Cambridge Science and Business History

By Andy Jones

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 20Nov2009
Word count: 447
Viewed: 244 time(s)

Get Free Content For Your Site

Science in Cambridge has a very long and illustrious history. Cambridge and the surrounding area are sometimes collectively referred to as the silicon fen because of the high concentration of science and technology businesses there. Many of the businesses in the area are owned or have very close links to the university colleges. There are several science parks such as the Cambridge science park and the St John's Innovation centre that bridge the divide between academia and business. The silicon fen is one of the most important technology hubs in Europe; to illustrate this point the area caught 24% of all venture capital in the UK in 2004.

Many great names of science made important discoveries when studying in Cambridge. These include the likes of Sir Isaac Newton, Lord Kelvin, Henry Cavendish, Charles Darwin and Sir John Cockcroft. Sir Isaac Newton discovered the laws of motion here and has an institute named after him that specialises as an international centre for the research of mathematics and theoretical physics, in fact mathematics has always been a strong emphasis at Cambridge University since the 17th century. Henry Cavendish discovered hydrogen here and has a laboratory named after him, the Cavendish laboratory that specialises in physics which was paid for by one of his descendants. Charles Darwin formulated his theory of natural selection and Sir John Cockcroft split the atom here.

Some of the many businesses that have based themselves here include Acorn computers, Sinclair Research and Aveva. Sinclair research is one of the more famous companies and was run by entrepreneur Sir Clive Sinclair who through this company brought the first affordable mass produced computer, the ZX81, to the British market. Acorn computers was a competitor of Sinclair's and was broken down into several subsidiaries one of which is ARM holdings that today is the dominant player in the microchip market for phones and PDA's. Aveva was formed in 1967 as CADcentre and pioneered the field of computer aided design (CAD).

The founding of the Cambridge science park in 1970 was a pivotal moment in the rise of the area's technological power and reach. It was founded by Trinity College and was the first science park in the UK. It was built on land originally given to the college by Henry VIII in 1546. The St John's Innovation Centre is another example of the link between the academic and business; it was founded in 1998 by St John's College and seeks to provide young businesses with advice and assistance. Organisations that seek to add to Cambridge's standing and progress and provide networking opportunities have also formed such as the Cambridge Network whose motto is 'Cambridge Ideas Change the World'.

Andy writes for Knapwell Wood Farm, a bed and breakfast in Cambridge, UK that caters for business executives. Visit today: http://www.knapwellwoodfarm.co.uk

EasyPublish™ this article - publishers click here