JPRS ID: 10358 WEST EUROPE REPORT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

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JPRS L/ 10358
- 2 March 1982
West Euro ~ f;e or~ ~
p p
,
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
~FOUO'4/82)
.
~OREIGN BROADGA~T INFORMATION SERVICE
.
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JPRS 7~/10358
2 March 1982
WEST EUROPE REPORT
SC I E~~1CE AND TECHNOLOGY
~ (FOUO 4/82~ �
CONTENTS
INDUSTRI.AL TECHNOI.OGY
~ Automated Space Factory P18.n~ed for Ariane Launches
_ (Pierre Kohler; SCIENCE & VIE, Dec $1) ........e 1
SCIENCE POLICY
United Kingdom: Current Trends in R&D Reviewed
(LE PROGRFS SCIENT~:FIQUE, Me.y-Aug 8i) 6
- a- [III - WE - 151 S&T FOUO]
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INDUSTKIAL TECHNOLOGY
AUTOMATED SPACE FACTORY PLANNED FOR ARIANE LAUNCHES
_ Paris SCIENCE & VIE in French Dec 81 pp 47-50
[Article by Pierre Kohler: "SOLARIS, the Space Robot"]
[Text] At the very moment when development of the A,~iane
, rocket, of which the fourth and last qualification f iring
is to take place about 12 December, SOLARIS may be the next
great European space achievement: an auabitious and original
project and, what is m~re, one that has great scientif ic,
industrial, and strategic interest.
Soon, Soviets and Americans are going to occupy space permanently; the former
during the next year, thanks to a continuously operating orbiting compl?x the
latter starting in 1986, thanks to a modular station assembled by the space shut-
- tle. In this competitive situation, the SOLARIS pro~ect may be a way for Eu:.ope
to confirm its space vocation and asserts its preser:ce upon the sixth continent:
the cosmos.
= At present, SOLARIS (acronym for "Station Orbitale et Laboratoire Automatique de
- Rendez-vous et d'Interventions Spatiales" [orbiting station and automated la~orat~ry
for rendezvous and space operations]) is only a project of the engineers at the
, National Center for Space Studics (CNES). But it is a project suffici~ntly
advanced to have been ~resented to the 32nd International Astronautics Congress,
which was held in Rome last 6 to 1?_ September. This project, even thougr. conceived
in France, can only be carr~ed out at the European level, since its magnitude
requires financial rasources which exceed our capabilities (the preliminary esti-
mate is close to 10 billion francs). In return, because of the originality of tre
chosen opzrating sphere and the diversity of.the facilities exploited, it can bp the
opportunity for the Europeans to manifest their own scientific individuality by
entering technological domains from which they are ~till absent: space rendezvous,
transfer operation in orbit, remQtely controlled manipulation, atmospheric
_ ' reentr~.es, capsule recoveries, and ~o forth.
A kind of small orbiting factory whose operation is completely automated, SOLARIS,
if it sees the light of day, will be a perf ect example of space robotics. At
present, the scope of its mission remains to be def ined, but the prospects, and
_ developments, arP many.
* See SCIENCE & VIE, ~10 768, p 94.
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In the first place, SOLARIS will make it Qossible to perfect the techniquPs of
construction and operation of a space station without human presence. Although
.the incorporated automation makes the complex equipment intended for the protection
of astronauts and for their activities unnecessary, it does, on the other hand,
requir~ greater precision and complete reliability of its equipment.
- Moreover, SOLARIS will provide new markets for the Ariane rocket in the form of
supply missions. CNES, which is seeking to exploit its launcher in parallel
uti.lizations, will find there a large market capable of extending over 15 years.
As the space station launches its capsules, Ariane will deliver new ones to it,
and these will be put in place by remote manipulation and will serve in exFeriments
' of different types: ind;istrial, biological, astronautical, and so forth.
The industrial domain will have the top priority. Spe,~ial alloys, difficult to
~ obtain upon Earth because of gravity, can be fabricated abroad SOLARIS, For example,
the combination of aluminum and.tungsten cannot be realized down here because of
the extremely great difference in the densities of the two metals; but under weight-
less conditions, the two mix perfectly and yield a homogeneous al]oy which combines
the mechanical properties of tungsten with the thermal properties of aluminum.
Another example: crystals. Under weightless conditions, they grow more easily
~ an3 can attain sizes unknown on the surface of the globe. In addition, they are
of greater purity. Now the fabrication of certain crystals, or of crystals of
certain quality, is vital to the development of the electronics industry. Thus:
. mercuric iodide, used in gamma-ray detectors, does not have a regular crystalline
_ lattice when it grows in a gravity field; in space, that problem is resolved.
Observation of the Earth will also be one of the tasks assigned to SOLARIS. But,
unlike specialized satellites of the SPOT class, the orbiting station is not
limited to nptical observation; as a matter of fact, the plan is to equip it with
a high-perf~rmance radar which could be used for civil purposes (relief cartography,
wave height) as well as for military ends (detection of aircraft, ships, or
various installations).
Lastly, astronomical observation platforms, laboratories for biological experiments,
- or exper~.mental telecommunications relays could, either in succession or simul-
~ Zaneously, be "grafted" to the ortiiting station.
nven though it is still only in the project stage, the general characteristics of
_ SOLARIS rigrt now are well defined. Thus, it is known that the station will weigh
between 4.6 and 5.4 tons, depending on the orbit chosen: elliptical, between 200
and 800 kilometers, or circular at 800 kilometers. In any case, this orbit will be
= heliosynchronous; t:~.at is, the station will always be illuminated in the same
manner and will pass over a given point on Earth at the same local time every day.
SOLARIS, by the way, will be equipped with two panels of solar cells, 230 square
- meters in area, which will provide 10 kilowatts of power. Transmissior_ of scien-
_ tific data ~rill be accomplished by radio with a rate that can attain 400 megabauds--
that is, 400 million bits (information elements) per. second.
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The first launch could take place toward the middle of the year 1990, aided by
an Ariane IV rocket. As we have said, the service life of SOLARIS will be 15
years. A.fuel reserve and an attitude-correction system will enable the station
to stabilize itself perfectly about its three axes to such an extent that the
microgravity on board will not exceed g/100,000--an essential condition f~r the
success of inetallurgical experiments.
Periodically coming to the station, and moor ing tQ it, will be "transport: modules"
launched at the rate of two per year (or a total of 30). These modules u?ill also
- be propelled by Ariane IV rockets, and their coupling to the station will be
accomplished automatically (the differential velocity at contact will be lower .
than 1 centimeter per second, which is very close to the pace of a snail!). Once
the coupling has been effected, a remotely controlled manipula'-or f ixed abroad
SOLARIS will take hold of the payloads and install them in their operating posi-�
tions. Three types of transport module are planned: one large one, 3 meters high
and 3.2 meters in diameter, weighing 3,400 kilograms; and two small ones of dif-
ferent shapes, weighing 700 kilograms and launched in groups of four.
When the experiments have ended, the payloads will be brought back to the docking
point by the remoteiy controlled manipulator and will then follow a return sequence
which is completely conventional: ~unmooring of the module, orientation by means of
small attitude rockets, ignition of the retrorocket, separation of the reentry
vehicle, properly speaking, opening of four parachutes, and landing i;-~ the sea off
_ the coast of French Guiana. The area in which it falls will be an ellipse of 12
kilometers by 20--hence small enough to make recovery easy.
The first of these recovery operations is planned for the end of 1991 or the
beginning of 1992. Certainly that will be a memorable data in the history of
Europe, for it will denote full and total accession by the Cld Continent to the
mast~ry of space.
1~ CoINadllr~~ni~:~ ~ Key:
- ' ` ` ' 1. Ariane IV nosecones
Stau.vn �
soi,~~s ~ ' ~a~. ` � 2. SOLARIS station
2 3) 3. Four small modules
~ P.rrts Giind
modu/es mod~r. 4. LargP module
~4J 4)
~
1 ` 2 3
In the course of successive launches, the nos~e of the Ariane IV rocket could be
occupied by various elements of SOLARIS: the main platforms which weighs 5 tons (1);
groups of four small modules, each weighing 700 kilograms (2); and a single large
module of 3.4 tons (3).
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!'viR Vrrll,lAL U,C, V1~ILY
_ THREE EXAMPLES OF ACTIVITIES ON BOARD .
\Y
~ ~ ~
Among the different~applications of the SOLARIS station, some, such as observation
of the Earth by means of a field synthesis radar (1) proceed in autonomous fashion,
- whereas other,
Bwr l~ .
~ tdHmanrpu/~t~ur
\ Key:
1. remotely controlled
~ manipulator arm
o~
o ~
- ~
~i
~ Z /i/~ '
such as the metdllurgical experiments, require the intervention of remotely con-
. trolled manipulator arms: here is seen the introduction of an experimental component
- into the appropriate compartment (2). Others necessitate still more elaborate con-
struction before t.ney car. operate. Such is the case with radio observation of
stars with small angular separation:
V
~ 2~ lnurldromdtro Key:
~ ,sao~om~o~e � 2. astronomical interferometer
3. remotely controlled manipulator arm
. 4. automated assembly of an astronomical
interferom~ter ~
_ 3 5. SOLARIS station
~ ~
_ 3~ Bns t1//ma'lpuhbur I
Asa~mbJrg~ o
4) autom~upu~
d'un int~dMomin~ Sfation
~ruonomiqu~ 4 S~So/arls
~F
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- the astronomical interferometer (3) which fulfills this function consists, in
_ effect, of three receiving antennas which must be assembled in advance and deployed
in place automatically by remotely controlled manipulator arms (4).
COPYRIGHT: 1981 "SCience et Vxe" ~
~ 11706
CSO: 3102/92.
y
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~CIENCE POLICY .
~UNITED KIl~IGDOM: CURRENT TRENDS IN R&D REVIEWED
Paris LE�PROGRES SCIENTIFIQ(J~ 3n French May-Aug 81 pp 51-65
[Article: "Current Trends in Technological Research and Development in the
United Kingdom," prepared by the scientific service of the French Embassy
- in London, May 19fi1]
~ [Excerpts] In the United Kingdom, as elsewhere, researcin is ~ften re~ognized
as a way to relieti~e or resolve~current economic difficulties. For many ; .
countries (USA, Japan, FRG) the primary concern remains energy supply, followed
closely by the necessity to innovate in order to preserve techno'logical
supremacy--a supremacy which is being mare keenly contested daily by countri.es
in process of industrialization. ~
The United Kingdom is a special case. It is the only large induatxial country ,
which has been independent in energy for several decades, and thus is not
impelled to make any special effort in this area. For a number of years
British industry had a huge protecCed market, which dispensed.with the need to
pursue innovation in order to prevail in economic competition. The energy
~ limitation is l~ss important in the United Kingdom than elsewhere; the stimulus
for innvation is also more recent. In r~gard to scientific programs, this
situation translates into excellent bas3c research but less well developed
- finalized research than in other countries, thov.gh compensated by a fine �
coordination between university and industry, no doubt better than in France.
The budget for the current f 3sca1 year wh3ch began on 1 April 1981 has ~ust
been published. Table 1 shows the brea.kdown; j.~ reveals significant increases
~ for agriculture (+33.9 percent) and industry (+31.8 percent). The energy
~ budget only increases by 16.5 percent, hardly compensating for losses due to
inflation. The average increase is 23.7 percent for civilian research and
12.8 percent for military. The United Kingdom will thus spend 3.3 million
pounds in 1981 for public R& D.
~
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� V~~ V~ ~ ~r~~~~r Vv~r v~ ~r~
'
National Research and Development Policy
Under the preseat organization, product of the Rothschild reform which aimed
at administering relationa between scientists and the technical ministries,
Parliament votes the budget for basic research, which is presented by the
Department of Education and Science (science vote). The funds are then
divided up among f ive of the research councils: Science Research Council (SRC),
Medical Res earch Council (I~tC), Agriculturgl Research Couacil (ARC), Natural
Enviro~ent Research Council (NERC), and Social Science Research Council
(SSRC). ThQ Advisory. Board for Research Councils (ABRC) proposes the
criteria for allocation of.the funds.
Table II shows the current-year allocations.to the�five resEarch councils as
well as th e expenditures of rach research council by budf;et category, i.e.: '
Universities' owri laboratories and other associated uni~s and support to
universities through: contracts; placing at their disposal heavy equipment in
the council's own Iaboratories; participation in internationaY programs;
maintenance grants for training of researchers.
TABI.EAU II �
~1~ Dipsnses des Conseils de rodte~'ehes par typs d'acttvitd sn 1979~1980
~ 2 ~n milllon~ d~ Uvret StsHlnq
ARC MRC NERC _ I SRC SSRC Totaux
Con~rat~s de recharche 2,2 18,5 7,Z 44,4 5,4 T8.7
~~-~'r~ Laboratak~ea et uMtbs de recherche 23,5 2T,6 ~ 23,0 57,8 0.5 132,2
8ourses de ionrne0fon ~ 0,3 4,5 3,4 24,1 9,3 41,6
c~ Partictpetton sux progrartm~es ~r?t~ernati~on~ux 1,5 43.1 44,6
7~ Adminbtration - Divers 3,6 4,2 2,8 6,3 1,6_ 18,5
~ Tataiux . 29,8 5T,3 36,4 175,5 18,8 315,6
Key:
~ 1. ~Expenditures of the research council's by type of activity in 1979-1980
2. In millions of pounds sterl,ing
3. Research contracts ~
- 4. Laboratories and research units
5. Training grants ~
6. Participation in international programs
7. Administration--various ,
t 8. Tota].s
Applied research is managed by ~he technical ministries (there is no inter-
ministerial budget). These ministries are considered as clients undertaking
research projects to meet their owa objectives through laboratories, selected
in principle by them, and treated as "contracCors." Th.is system has apparently
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worked ~?~ell for some ministries (agriculture) but had to be dropped recently
_ by others (health). The technical ministries have their own laboratories
(7ndustrial Research Establishment) but delegate a large proportion of their
more basic projects to the research councils. At the highest level,~a
_ committee, the Ad~risory Council for Applied Research (ACARD), plays a role
similar to that of the ABRC; .
The research is carried out either in the universities or the research councils'
own laboratories.
Financ3.ng for the univers ities is handled by a special body, the University
Grant Committee: the allocated sum 3s intended to meet teaching and research
expenses. It is up to the university to see to the maintenance and operation
of the laboratories, and to undertake with its own funds research of a quality
that will persuade the research counc3ls to award it contracts; this is the '
"dual system," an arrangemen~ which works well when there are sufficient
rESOUrces on both sides. However, that is curr~ntly not the case, since the
present government wants to significantly reduce the budget of the universities
and decrease the number of students. It 3s likely that the big universities
(Oxford, Cambridge, London, Edinburgh) which have their own funds, will not be
much affect2d by these financial cutbacks; but the recently established sma11
- universities which on~.y have g~vernment subsidies will have difficulty surviving.
- Biomedical Engineering , �
Bi~medical engineering deals essentially with mEdical instruments (analyzers,
- de'tectors, microscopes, etc.), products relating to biology, and internal and
external prostheses.
Private Sector
Since medicine is rationalized in the United Kingdom, the National Health ~
Service is th e principal customer for this equipment, which 3s produced almost
entirely by the private sector. Last year, the NHS spent about 1 million
pounds for purchases in this sector, which is a very favorable one for the UK.
In 1978, exports (200 million pounds) exceeded imports (150 million pounds).
- Production in 1979 totaled 90 million pounds, of which two-thirds was exported.
~ The R& D in this sector is estimated at about 3 million pounds, or an average
of 6 percent turnover. Table IV portrays the situation in the other sectors
(biomechanical, mecanotherapy, sterilization and opthalmology equipment).
Table III
1979 Degree of . Percentage
Production Penetration ~ Exported
- (million pounds) (percent) Position 1979
Medical imagery 58 46 Exce].lent ~ 87
Medical electronics 31 58 Excellent 60
Pacemakers 100 Very poor 0
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h'Ulc Urri~lwt, u5~. UNI.Y
Table IV ~
In millians of pounds sterling
Other sectors Imports Exports ~
Biomechanical equipment 18.8 11.5
- Mechanotherapy equipment 7.6 10.8
- ~ Sterilization equipment 1.5 � 2.2
_ Opthal~aology (glasses, lenses) 1.5 5
_ In the biomedical sector, we should note the remarkable technical. success
(which earned a Nobel prize) of the EMI Scanners (600 tomographs sold for
- export in 1979). Seventy scanners are in use 3.n the UK, or 1.3 per million
inhabitants (the corresponding figure for th e United States is,6.7 million).
- Following financial difficulties, Thorn ENfI recently turned over its medical
activities to GE (U.S.). On the other hand, a recently established British
compar?y, MQdical Engineering, is planning to com~ercially produce scanners
at a very low cost price.
British activity in the biomaterials sector has thus far been very slight. '
Public Sector
Activity is divided among the Medical Research Council, the Science Research
Council, and the Department of Health and Social Security, but it 3s difficult
to establis~ precisely how much is being spent for these purposes; ~
The MRC does not spend more than 1 percent of its budget on this field, most
of its resources going to the Clinical Research Center, which has two com-
puterized services, one for market information on 3nstruments and materials,
- and the other for published riaterial;
The SRC has identified three priorities (but spends little on these areas):
materials used in.dentistry, internal prostheses (polymers, ceramica, heart
- valves), external prostheses (hemodialysis, oxygenators, contract lenses, etc.).
Jointly with th e MRC, th e SRC tries to promote development of magnetic nuclear �
_ resor?a.nce equipment. In 1979-1980, the SRC and MRC spent about 400,000 pounds
- on the area of internal prostheses.
= The DHSS is the most involved in this area: it spend 2.7 million pounds in.
1980, of which 540,000 pounds for the research on prostheses and rehabilita-
tion of handicapped people. For example, the following projects are underway:
medical imagery by magnetic nuclear resonance; a Coulson biological analyzer;
- a cyclotron for neutrotherapy; a device to make kidney grafts possible; a
_ photorefraction technique for early detection of sight problems in ch ildren;
production of synthetic tissue from carbon fiber, and flexible contact lenses.
Biotechnology .
- An ad hoc working group presenCed a report to the government in August 1980
concluding that the UK had done very little in the area of biotechnolog3cal
' innovation and that investments in th3s field were too sma11 compared to other
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- countr.ies. The working group recommended increased financing of public research
in this field, developing scientific capability by trair.ing more researchers,
and establishing a company in the public sector to benefit fr~m research
potential. The government's reply, recently published as a white paper, was
a strong disappointment to the scientif.ic community: no additional funds were
allocated for research or aid to small enterpr3ses, other than a suggestion
to better coordinate the efforts of the National Research Development Corpora-
- tion (NRDC) and the National Enterprise Board (NEB). The responsibil~ty f.~r

J converting discoveries of useful products and services of possible commercial
value is.left to industry. However, the Center for Applied Microbiology and
Research at Porton is to be ava.ilable to industry and serve as an exchange
center.
- The regulations on security control of experiments involving genetic recombina-
tion have been eased for~experiments with lowest danger potential classified
in physical confinement category I, or experiments involving a reliable
microbiological practice; this applies in fact to 99 percent of experiments.
It is no longer necessary to notify the Genetic Manipulation Advisory Group
and the Health and Safety Executive on a case-by-case basis. The decision
- as to whether experiments fall into these categories will be up to the local
security committees.
Public Sector
It is estimated that the research councils spend about 3 million pounds for
biotechnology, to which should be added a few contracts originated by the
technical ministries and financing of research by the Public Health Laboratory
Service in the Center for Applied Microbiology and Research.
There are a number of leading teams scattered in various centers, institutes,
and universities (Cambridge, London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bristol, Wazwick,
Norwich and Cranfield Institute of Technology).
The SRC, which for a decade has been financing basic research in restriction
enzymes--particularly at Edinburgh University (Professor Murray)--plans to
increase its involvement in the coming 4 y.ears and establish two "bio-centers"
_ (teams located in universities) whose purpose will b e to cooperate with
- industry in biological engineering.
At the MRC, basic research on the cell at the molecular level has reached the
stage of possible usefulness to clinical medicine: worlc on molecular
sequences, genetic manipulation, and production of monoclonal antibodies
(research being conducted particularly at the Cambridge Laboratory of Molecular
Biology). The MRC is also financing work on plasmids which are resistant to
medicines, studies which could lead to synthesis of antibodies and research
to develop techniques for prenatal diagnosis of congenital problems (for
. example, Thalassemia). In 1978, the research capability was e~stimated at about
380 persons, of whom 56 were in the MRC.
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In 1978 the ARC began a program of research into genetic manipulation applied
to food agriculture. The target of 50 researchers set ai that time has been
achieved; th e teams have gone to various institutes appropriate to the scope
of their projects, and the programs have been laid out for the ANC as a who~e.
The objectives of the research are improvement of vegetable varieties (develop-
ment of somatic hybrids), combat of certain animal diseases (production of
antigenic proteins using bacteria in which a viral plasmi~ :~as been cloned),
processing of microorga;iisms of value to food agriculture (bacteria, yeasts).
The NDRC, ANVAR's counterpart, has invested about 3.5 million pounds. It is
currently f inancing 22 projects: 8 in genetic engineering, 6 in antibiotics,
6 in potential industrial applications using microorganisms and enzymes, and
2 for vaccines. The NRDC has little cooperation with the pharmaceutical
industry, which conducts its own R& D. In the next few years, investments
are to be directed to the food industry.
The Center for Applied Microb iology and Research (CAMEt) at.Porton, which is
financed by the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) and which was recently
reorganized, is particularly well-equipped for physical isolation of dangerous
pathogens (category A, such as Lassa virus, measles...), culture of micro-
- organisms in large quantities, and fermentation. ~It will be assigned an
- increasingly important role in biotechnology and obtaining contracts with
industry. The b iotechnical projects include production of human growth hormone
for Kabi-Vitrum, development of ~=accines by genetic engineering, study of hosts
other than E. coli (yeasts--thern~ophile bacteria) and biodegradation of
effluents by hacterian enzymes.
' Main Developments
Interferon: preparation of a monoclonal antibody against human interferon;
marketing by Celltech; cloning of interf eron genes O( and Professor Burke's
team has succeeded in cloning interferon nenes aC and ~j in a plasmid of
E. coli (cloned genes are not yet capable of expression).
Human growth hormone: production on a large scale at CAMR of human growth
hormone for Kabi-Vitrum using E, coli containing genes of the hormone.
Vaccines: development of vaccines by genetic engineering at CAMR (work in
progress, with Professor Murray of Edinburgh, on vaccine against viral
hepatitis--vaccine against smallpox).
Taline: at Kent University (Professor Stacey), research to produce an E. coli
(or other bacteria) capable of synthesizing a protein, Taline, which is found
in fruits of tropical plants and is 3,000 times sweeter than cane sugar
_ (cooperation with Tate & Lyle).
- Cooperation in biotechnology between the University of Comp iegne and the
Cranfield Institute of Technology: establishment of a joint unit at Cranfield
working on biotechnology. The research will be done under contract for public
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services and industries. It will involve development of the methods and
requir_ement for exploiting industrial and zgricultural by-products and biomass
(obtaining nonconventional proteins, fuel and food-agriculture engineering).
- Improvement of plant sper_ies: u.se of gene cloi;ing in bacteria or yeasts for
various pro~ncts to improve plant species, including: somatic hybridization
of two varieties of petunia; plant regeneration through modified protoplasms
for the species of primary agricultural interest (potatoes, grains, grasses);
~ modif ication of the properties of ~rain proteins; increase in plant resistance
to viral diseases and sensitivity to antib3otics.
~ Center of Biotechnology at the Imperial College of Science and Technology (under
the direction of Professor B. Hartley): the center coordinates.tr.e activities
of various Imperial College d~partments, particularly the biochemistry depart-
ment, and also outside branches (for exampl.e, the Center for Applied Microbiology �
and Research and th e biotechnology unit on plant cells at Sheffield). There
are numerous contracts with industry (in 1981 their value totaled 100,000 pounds)
but most of them are confidential.
The research focuses on the following topics, among others: large-scale industrial.
fermentation processes (interpretation of laboratory results in fermentation
. viable in the 25-1,000 cubic meter range).
A contract has been reached with Biogen for large-scale (3,OOO~liters) produc-
~tion of leucocyte human interferon from recombined E. co1i.
Also underway are projects on the following: use of continuou~ culture for
selection of clones in presence of a mutagene; large-scale production of
metabolites (isolation of intra-cellular enzymes); simultaneous isolation of
several enzymes (large-scale production: 70 kg) using thermophile bacteria
more stab].e than stearothermophiles; cloning of genes and expression in yeasts
(facilitating expression of foreign genes in organisms); genetic manipulation
of thermophile bacteria to produce solvents and chemical products in large
quantities; biological control of plant diseases by replacing chemical products
as control agents with microorgan3sms or their products (experiment on an ~
agronomical scale).
Private Sect:or
According t.o the "chief scientist" of the Ministry of In3ustry, expenditures
by industry are probably about the same as those of the public sector. Bio-
technology is not a new development in the UK, particularly in certain chemical,
pharmaceutical, and food-agriculture industries. For example: Glaxo and
Beecham, producing penicillin and semi-synthetic penicillins; Wellcome
Foundation Ltd., which is preparing interferon from lymphoblasts; Imperial
Chemical Industries (ICI): production of protein from methanol for animal feed.
The yield of "Pruteen" has been improved through the introduction into the
bacteria, methylophylus methyltropus, of a coding gene for an enzyme which will
- catalyze the reaction more effectively. Experiments are underway to produce
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PHB (polyhydroxbutyrate) whi~h resembles synthetic polyesters used for plastics
employing a process similar to Chat for production of Pruteen but w3th new
strains of bacteria. In fact~ the PHB synthetized is tc,o frag3le, but the
ICI team is trying to modify either the polyme~ ~tself r~r the bacteria used
(alcaligenes entrophus) through genetic engineering to obtain a polymer which
will be less fragile and more flexible.
Tate and Lyle: conversion of hydrates of carbon and alcohol using micro-
_ organisms; Rank Hovis McDougall has received the Agriculture Ministry's
_ authorization to proceed with development of a mycoprotein obtained from grain
and intended for human consumption; Searle (United States) in the UK:
production of interferon from fibroblasts in a pilot plant constructed in the
UK and flu vaccine (at High Wycombe, first phase of cloning a gene of the flu
vir~ in a bacteria).
Establishment of Celltech (1980)
- The new British company has a capital of 12 m311ion pounds financed by NEB
(44 percent) and the remainder by four companies of the city. It has its own
laboratory at Slough and is to serve as an interface between research and
industry. Celltech has signed an agreement with MRC giving it access to
research of it~ laboratories, particularly in the field of hybridumes 3nd
genetic recombinations by ADN. The royalties MRC receives will be used to
f inance research, in addition to that funded by its own budget, and will
become the "Calltech Fund," controlled by a subco~ittee composed of counc3l
~ members. Ma.rketing of Calltech's first product has been announced. It is a
monoclonal antibody agair.ist interferon developed by Dr Secher at the Cambridge
Laboratory of riolecular Biology in cooperation with Professor Burke at Wa~wick.
Scientific and Technical Informa.tion (Data Banks)
Scientific and technical information is disseminated in the UK by two main
~ services:
The British Library Research and Development Department (BLRDD), which is
the equivalent, in part, to our National Library. The British Library
is a public institution under the authority of the Ministry of Education and
- Science.
The Technology Reports Center (TRC) is a technical information center under
the Ministry of Industry.
While th e TRC's activities are exclusively technological, the BLRDD's field
of operation i~ far broader with resources to match. Thus, in 1979 the BLRDD
spent 1.3 million pounds both on activities by its own staff of 32 people and
on contracts with the universities. It is estimated that the TRC has only
- about one-tenth of those resources.
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The BLRDD's primary ob~ectivea are set by an intexministry committee on .
_ scientific and technical information, the IC('~TI (Interdepartment and
Coordinating Committee for Scientific and Technical Information), with the
BLRDD providing the secretarial support. These ob3ectives have been
elaborated into priority re~rarch projects, specifi,cally bibliometric
research, computer indexing, processing of chemical data, and methods for
evaluating index systenos. Those priorities led to conclusion of contracts ~
for 1979 as follows:
Basic research (180,000 pounds); example: methods of data
_ compression (University of Sheffield).
Advanced techniques (53,500 pounds); example: integration of bibliographic
- material into the British videotex system PRESTEL (Langton Information
_ System).
Thematic research (23,600 pounds); example: comparative evaluation of
toxicological information sources (Royal Postgraduate Medical School).
~User research (250,000 pounds); example: evaluat3on of the teaching "package"
in information science. (Newcastle Polytechnic).
Two other prio~ities obtaining a sign3.ficant budget allocation are the program
to improve management of scientific or nonscientific libraries (378,000 pounds)
and the program for development of research and information in public libraries
(128,000 pounde).
Finally, what is the UK's position in relation to its main competitors in
regard to R& D of data banks? ~~'he following main institutions are in the
best position:
Development of data bank software; universities: Aberdeen, East Anglia,
Edinburgh, Sheffield, Strathclyde, London School of Economics; industry:
IBM (Peterlee Center), Honeywell, ICL.
Davelopment of data bank hardware: this is done almost exclusively in the
industrial context: IBM, Honeywell (IDS System), and finally ICL, which has
been able to develop its hardware in two directions, one being mass storage,
with its CAFE (Content Addressable File Store), applicable also to the ~
electronic annual, and the other relatin~ to architecture with its TPA
(Information Processing Architecture). �
If you use the number of publications selected at international conferPnces
as a criterion for international ranking, the UK does.not rank high since
only one British paper has been accepted dur3ng the three latest iriter-
national conferences on data banks (the IFIP-TC2 congress in Venice, the
Rio de Janeiro conference, and the Paris c~*�ference in 1980) . Howeaver,
if you believe that the best measure of development effort in this area is
ultimately th e actual number of data banks established in the UK, then you
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~ M'UR Ur'HII;IAL U~~ UNLY
should consider the picture presented by the following list of British data
b anks, most of which are accessible to Euronet/DIANE; Aqual3ne (water);
BHRA Fluid Engineering; BNF Metals Abstracts (nonferrous metals); CAB
~ Abstracts (agricuYture); Conference Proceedings Index; FSTA (food science
and technology); Geoarchive (geology); Inspec (electronics, computers,
physics); IRL Life Sciences collection; LISA (library and information
science); Pestdoc (pesticides); PIRA (paper and printing); RAPRA Abstracts
(rubber and plastics); Ringdoc (pharmaceuticals); Surface Coating Abstracts;
UIGC MARC; Weldasearch; World Textiles; WPI (patents). ~
This leads us to conclude that computer information technology in the UK
is at least as advanced as that in France. ~ .
Finally, it is important to note that the TRC is a computerized center for
technological information catering to companies. The center depends on
existing data banks, Brit~ish (e.g. INSPEC), American (e.g. NTIS), or even ~
European (e.g. ESA banks), and itself produces a technical information data
bank R & D Abstract.
- Telecommunications '
In many respects, telecommunications development in the UR is comparable to
- what can be done in France. Two major elements contribute to this development,
one, public, is~th e Post Off ice, the other, private, is the whole group of
major teleco~nt.mications companies, GEC, Plessey, STC. The viability of the
one and the prosperity of the others are closely linked.
R & D Resources
The following table breaks down the Post Office R& D budget for 1980. The
approximate breakdo~rn is given for ma3or ob~ectives, then for the ma3or technical
- options . . ~
Tab le A
Pos t Of f ice R& D Fund Coumiitments
Breakdown by Ob j ectives
in millions of pounds sterling
I'mprovemenf of present techniques 13.7
- Development of new systems 56.3
Long-term research, basic research 17.3
Advice, consultance, studies 8.3
~ 95.6
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~ Table B
Post Office R& D Fund Commitments
Breakdown by Technical Options
in millions of pounds sterling
Substitution 54.3
Transfer 18.1
Customer equipment 10.9
Components, materials 6.2
Technical advice 2.5 .
Studies, consultance 3.6
95.6
The ~irst conclusion we can draw is that the Post Off ice's R& D effort is
comparable in volume to that of its French counterpart, Po~t and Telecommunica-
tions. ~
In the UK private sector, GEC, Plessey, and STC share the telecommun3cations
market, with sales of 2.5 billion, 648 million, and 436 million pounds
respectively. Their activities, are closely tied to the public markets. It is
abviously very diff icult to find out what resources these companies devote to
R& D.: However, it appears that British companies spent 525 million pounds .
in 1978 on components~and communications.* We can conclude that British
= companies spend at least 100 mi113on pounds on their teleconmmun3cationa R& D
ef fort .
Main Lines of Development ~
It appears that the main lines of development are the same im na.ture to those
of France.
Proj:ects already in the industrial phase:
Fiber optics--a 450-1~ network is under construction and should be operational'
~ by 1982; radiotelephone--a project to expand from 30,000 to 1.5 m311ion users;
- telephone exchanges--iaith development of SYSTEM X time switches; telecommunica-
tions satellites--development of the Madley station at a cost of 7.5 million
pounds; telecomputer--deveiopment of the PRESTEL videotex system, already in
operation with 6,000 subscribers, tele-conferences, tele-alarms, etc.
Proj ects in R& D phas e:
Optic transmission: rapid data transmission 565 million bits/sec; facsimile
~transmission; microelecrronics--"design" of specialized LSI circuits (e.g.
CODEC); microprocessor-equipped local sw3tchboards.
The Post Off ice's R& D effort in telecommunications has increased significantly
in the last few years (55 millian pounds in 1975, 96 million in 1980). Despite
* Business ~ionitor-MO 14--"Industrial Research 1978."
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ruK urri~iH~ u~r, uiv~t
pessimis~ic predictions for this industry (cf. "Electronic Tr.lecommunications
in the UK to 1985" Bureau Carsen Sweeny), the UK nevertheless f3nds itself
in a good position, particularly with respecr to France. We should point out
that the British telecomputer program has reached a state of advancement which
is also�very competitive.
~ Automobile Research
The international symposium on automotive technology (ISATA 80) held 3n Turin
in 1980 heard 16 British and 4 French papers. The British compan3es represented
were: Ford, Shell (UK), G. Ccssons, Luczs, Leyland Vehicles, Br3tish Leyland,
GNK (UK), SDRC Engineering, and BP. The universities and research centers
represented were: University of Southampton, London (Queen Mary College) and
UKAEA.
The disproportionatie representation of the Brit3sh compared to the French is
not inanediately explainable. We do know that companies in the best position are
not always eager to talk about their operations at international congresses
after the poin~ when the in~iistr3al stakes become important. However, this
illustration dnes give an idea of the more important British compan3.es in
automobi.le development. In 1978, the companies spent 128 m311ion pounds
sterling for auto development: the most striking result was the unveiling
in 1980 of EL's mini-metro, whose fuel consumption figures are very close ~
to those of aur R5.
It is clear that auto vehicle developm~iit (gasoline engines) is carried out
almost exclusively by the private sector. Of the 128 million pounds spent in
1968, 5.5 million pound~ wer.e px~ovided by the Br3tish Government.
British research is evidently.oriented to para11e1 t?-tat of its principal
- competitors:
Auto electronics: Example 1: Lucas is developing speciaiized pressure detectors
as w ell as air loss detectors; Example 2: Shell Research is developing electronic
- ligh t iiig .
New materials/substitute materials: Example 1: Lotus is ueing composite
materials in its racing models; Example 2: Ford and Fiber Glass have jointly
developed a new polyester iritake manifold for cars.
Testing/security: Example 1: BP is developing computerized test benches for
engines; Example 2: The MIRA (Motor Industry Research Association) is working
on vehicle security.* .
Materials and aerodyna.wic engineering: Example 1: The UKAEA is analyz3ng the
engineering limitations of materials (with application to vehicle chassis);
Example 2: The MIRA is developing new aerodynamic shapes.
* The Research Associations are equivalent to our technical centers. The MIRA
_ spends more than 3 million pounds per year on automobile development.
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- Finally, we should mention one more 3.mpo~tant element, electric vehicles:
the Department of Industry is providing 3 million pounds sterling to
assist a development program for electric vehicles. This research seems
~o~have made more progress in the univers3ty context. The following table
shows the maj~~r university teams involved in these pro~ects. ~
' Universities Pro~ects (applied to
electric vehicles)
Manchester, Nottingham, Sussex, Warw3ck Linear motors, synchronous motors
Bristol, Cranfield, Manchester,
- Nottingham, Leeds, Newcastle Electric mators
Cranf ield, Imperial College, Manchester,
Newcastle, Nattingham, Leeds, Sussex,
UMIST Reliability
Bristol, UMIST, Manchester, Nottingham/
Leeds, Warwick Energy storage
Leeds, UMIST Batteries, chemical conversion,
economy, marketing
We should add to these teams ali the manufacturers who are involved mainly with
chemical transformers, for example: Chloride, partner of Chrysler, and Lucas,
partner of Bedford, are developing electric vehicles. These manufacturers
generally form partnersh ips with a vehicle producer.
The position of the British automobile industry is hardly bright: 98 percent of
production is divided among four groups: one British group (British Leyland) and
four American (Ford, Vauxhall,(GM), Chrysler), but in fact 50 percent of Fords
, sold in the UK are assembled in Spain, the FRG, Belgium and Ireland. British
, Leyland is, therefore, fighting for the survival of the British automobile
industry.
By comparison with this bad situation, the automobile equipment sector is in
an excellent position; the ma~or manufacturers in this sector long ago realized
that the_y had to cross frontiers; they are established in Europe and the
United States, and have undertaken a profitable diversification into the
aeronautical field.
Fine Chemistry
Chemistry in the UK is a prime sector, whether in scientific planning or
manufacturing.
Three organizations are involved: the Science Research Council, the National
Research Development Corporation, and the Department of Industry.
~ The SRC has defined the priority sectors, and polymers leads the list. The
SRC's policy is twofold: it assists in acquiring expensive and sophisticated
equipment, and funds specific research projects. For example, it has financed
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the purchase of high-isolation RMN spectrometers for the universities of
Edinb~gh, Sheffield and Norwich, and Queen Mary College in London; Raman
spectrometers and lasers for Cambridge, Oxford, Nottingham, Bristol, and
. Southha:npton; and high-~esolution liquid chromatographs to develop methods
for producing antibiotics and vitami.n.s. ~t is actively supporting work at~
Oxford on synthetis and biosynthesis of lactary antibiotics, and in general
all the activities of the "Oxford Enzyme-Group."
As for the NRDC, it is trying to convert laboratory pro~ect achievements to
the industrial level, and specifically is aiding the teams at Leeds, Surrey,
- Herriot Watt, and Newcastle in their work on lactamel. Also, it is promoting
work on "Charcoal Cloth" and on phasphorus monocrystals or gallium arsenide.
The Ministry of Industry is devo~3ng special attention to catalyzers, providing
grants specif ically to the Harwell center (500,000 pounds) which is study~ng
in detail the role of catalyzers (surface state, purity of materials, and
geometric effects, etc.). ~
Industrial Sector
- The industrial sector is dominated by the ma3or companies (ICI, Shell,
Courtaud, etc.) but ICI is the real leader and also the example and the
- authority. Th e British che~ical sector deserves close attention.
ICI, wh ich is involved in all areas (dyes, pigments, pharmaceutics, catalyzers,
and new plastics), is one of th e sh3ning lights of British industry (4.5 million
pounds of products sold in I.980). It is second in Europe behind the FRG. It
invests from 10 to,12 percent of its turnover (5 percent 3n France). Between
1971 and 1975 its turnover increased by 80 percent, and it succeeded in placing
_ "key men" in a ntm~ber of important strategic posts (chief scientist of the
Department of Industry, the Department of Energy, chairman of the SRC, etc.).
ICI is a world which it is difficult to penetrate; 3t is also a model for
university-industry relations.
Other, smaller companies are mure specialized in pharmaceutics; Beecham and
Glaxo had a turnover of 1 million pounds in 1980 and Wilson and Fisons are
- also involved in pharmaceutics and dyes.
Overall, the privat e sector spends 500,000 pounds for R& D, of which one-third
- is for pharmaceutics, which is an excellent sector for the UK, with a higher
productivity than th e U.S. counterpart.
Overall, fine chemical products for pharmaceutics are in a state of stagnation:
237 million pounds in 1977, 247 million pounds in 1980. Fine plastics totaled
615 million pounds, and dyes about 230 million pounds (3.1 pounds per kilogram).
Briefly, the main research targets are as follows:
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ICI: replacement of petroleum products by products derived from coal or gas,
fermentation, bioengineering;
' $~ell: thermoplastics, res3ns, elastomers, colloidai chemistry;
Courtaud: chemical textiles, carbon fibers. ~
The chemical sector in the UK is at a crossroads. Mort *han any other sector,
- it has pushed investment, at the r3sk of having overproducti~:: in some areas.
- Should it continue to invest in order to maintain its lead over. its Europea.n
rivals, or~should it~ stop 3ts expans':~ton, thereby~risking being overtaken
when the North Sea oil price becomes``:the same as that of Middle East oil? One
of its largest handicaps currently is'Ithe high price of its raw materials
(aad secondarily its relativ~ly modest product3.vity). ~
The British Space Program
A space program has two elements: production and sae of launchers, and production
and use of satellites in orbit. ~
~ Laimchers
_ The UK has deliberately bypassed the launcher phase in order to concentrate on
~ satellites. After giving up development of an independent str3ke force, the
UK stopped work on developing the "Blue Streak" missile and 3nduced the EurQpean
. countries in 1961 to join the "European Launcher Development Organization (ELDO)
to develop a heavy launcher (1 ton in orbit), thereby seeking to prof it in a
- European cqnt:e.~ct from the work it had done in the military field. At the end
of 1968, for financial reasons, the iTK left ELDO, stopping its contributions
and taking Italy with it. In 1972, ELDO and ESRO (European Space Research
Organization) were dissolved~. ' ,
~ Satellites
The UK has played an active role in this area within ESRO; it also plays an
active role in the European Space Agency (ESA).
It has very good scientific and technical capabilities in the satellite field.
From 1962 to 1979, it launched 13 satellites, 4 military using Ther Delta
rock~ets (of these 2 failed), and 9 scientif 3c. Of the 13 satellites, 4 were
.bought from the United States and the othPrs were produced in the UK.
Th e two big industrial companies involved in producing satellites are British
Aerospace and GEC Marconi. They are both members of the three European
consortiums STAR, MEST and COSMOS. ' ~
- Under current programs, ARIEL 6, a satellite launched recently for scientific
~ purposes, wi11 be th e last all-British space capsule. There has been a change
1 '
, ~
e
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recently in the Briti$h attitude on satellites. Until recently, they showed
little enthusiasm for the European ambitions. A study by the "Central Policy
_ Review Staff" apparently com~inced the British Govzrnment that it could r~~
ldnger stay aloof from the progress of this technology. Since that time
(autimmn 1980), the British Government has shown new interest in the European
satellite programs; regretting that they were not involved in the French-
German direct TV'program, the British organ3zed within ESA the ELSAT project
by enlisting t.hose European countries not associated with the French-German
program.
They are showing lively interest 3n the Arabsat issue, and relations between
British Aerospace (BA) and Matra are excellent, though clouded by the
Anglo American discuesions on replacement of Skynet (geostationary military
- satellite).
The Britis h satellite industry intensively researches the international markets.
. BA has been th~ principal sub contractor f.or Hugues Aircrafts [as published]
'for 12 Intelsat satellites, and has played the same role for 4 Comsat
` satellites; it has been the principal contractor for GEOS and was heavily
involved in COSB. It is also the principal contractor for OTS (Orbit Test
Satellite) as the forerunner for ECS (European Communication Satellite)
to be launched by Ariane in 1982.. Also, two Marec satellites which the UK ~
regards as very important are b eing built by the European MESH consortium
under the leadership of British Aerospace. As for Spacelab, whose completion
has been put in..doubt by the United States, British Aerospace is to construct
discs and platform assemblies. BA is also working on an order worth
13 million pounds from ESA as the European part3c3pation in the telescope
to be carried by NASA, and prodUCtion of a very high sens3tivity photonic
detector. More recently, the BA-Matra consortium was granted a contract to
build a telecommunications satellite.
In regard to scientific research devoted mainly to astronomy and ionosphere
projects, the British national effort has been decreasing steadily in favor
of cooperative programs. Nuclear physics is one of the area in whi.ch tfie UK
has decided, due to limited financial meane, to work only through international
cooperation. "
In conclusion, the British space program is undergoing a reappraisal, since
the UK does not want to be left out of the European achievements, parCicularly
the French-German.
Bilateral Scientific and Technical Cooperat3on Between the TJK and France
This cooperation is not easy to encompass, since it has many aspects: some
the sub3ect of formal and official agreement between similar (or quas~-sim3.lar)
organizations, others having developed at the level of research organizatio~s
_ and ind~ependent of any control. About 200 French scientists live in the UK
for periods varying from 1 to 6 months. In 1981, there were approximately
80 researchers working under the follow3ng cooperative agreements: GNRS/Royal
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Society (30); Foreign Affairs (young engineers 19); CNRS/SSRC (8); INRIA (6);
INSERM/MRC (3); CNRS/MRC (2); GNRS/British Council (2); various others (5).
Of the total 29 were from the engineering field, 15 biomedical, 13 mathemat~:Ce-
phvsics-che~nistry, 10 social sciences, 6 computers, and the rest (6) from
various sectors.
The average stay of French or British researchers in the UK or France is
S to 6 montYis. For every two French researchers who come to the UK, one
British researcher goes to France.
The British come to France to study the following: human sciences (51 percent);
life sciences (22 percent); mathe~matics and physics (10 percent); chemistry
(5 percent); LOS (land, ocean, space) (5 percent); other (7 percent).
The French come to the UK to study: huzaan sciences (31 percent); chemistry
_ (23 percent); life sciences (17 percent); engineering (12 percent);
mathematics and physics (9 per.cent); LOS (3 percent); others (5 percent).
COPYRIGHT: DGRST, Paris, 1981
9920
- CSO: 3102/109 E~
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