CATALYST FOR UK GROWTH, JOBS & PROSPERITY
Micro Focus and cross-party panel of distinguished parliamentarians call on leaders from business, academia and politics to implement industrial plan for IP-rich technology industries to ‘make BrITain great again’ and generate 250,000 new jobs
House of Lords, Westminster, LONDON & NEWBURY, England, 21st July, 2009 — Micro Focus® (LSE.MCRO.L), one of the UK’s leading and most successful technology companies and a leading provider of enterprise application management and modernisation solutions, today announces the launch of Making BrITain Great Again: The Micro Focus Technology Manifesto – Catalyst for UK Growth, Jobs & Prosperity.
The Micro Focus Technology Manifesto calls on UK leaders in business, academia and politics to help address the long-term challenges caused by the decline in manufacturing and the recent ‘shock’ in financial services. It proposes an integrated plan to develop sustainable growth, employment, and wealth from the intellectual property (IP-rich) technology industries. Micro Focus’ plan has the potential to unlock a much larger contribution to national GDP from the IP-rich technology industries and calls for a quarter of a million UK jobs to be created within 8-10 years.
Making BrITain Great Again is launched today by Micro Focus CEO Stephen Kelly at the House of Lords, Westminster, London with the support of Richard Holway, Chairman, TechMarketView LLP, one of the UK’s leading Technology statesmen and a cross-party panel of parliamentarians – Lord Young of Graffham (Conservative and former Secretary of State for Employment and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry), Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour) and Lord Razzall of Mortlake (LibDem). All are distinguished by their passion for the development of a world-class UK IP-rich technology industry.
The Manifesto outlines three areas which Micro Focus believes hold the key to a step change in the technology sector’s contribution to UK plc – entrepreneurship; academic connections with industry; and a consistent fiscal framework for growth and prosperity. The over-riding goal of the Manifesto is to increase UK technology jobs by 250,000 and in the process, significantly raise the contribution by home-grown technology businesses to GDP over the next ten years, thus providing a real roadmap for recovery by creating sustainable jobs, businesses and wealth.
To build the global businesses to achieve this, today’s Micro Focus Technology Manifesto recommends five directional priorities:
- Jobs, jobs, jobs… Increase the supply of world-class technology talent in the UK
- Harness the expertise and goodwill of successful leaders around the world to mentor leaders of UK-based emerging technology businesses
- Radically change the tax incentives available to companies and individuals who want to invest in growing technology businesses
- Implement specific fiscal incentives for UK-based tech companies seeking to accelerate world-leading R&D
- Proactively encourage international technology companies to invest in the UK
“UK plc is saddled with debt, decline, depleted industry and deteriorating employment, yet we have a great pedigree of innovation and IP-rich industries. Today, with a lack of hope for the future, and public cynicism with business and politics, it is exciting to be presenting a positive agenda for UK plc,” said Stephen Kelly, Micro Focus CEO. “Now more than ever, is the time for business, politics and academia to create more UK jobs by joining forces to implement a plan which fosters talent, encourages fiscal support and inward investment to produce a world class IP-rich technology industry which can truly make Britain great again.”
During the first phase of this initiative, working with a taskforce of leaders from business, academia, and politics, the Technology Manifesto will be developed, refined and modelled to provide firm plans and recommendations by September 2009. The objective is that all the main political party manifestos and subsequent policies take account of the recommendations for ‘Making BrITain Great Again’, supported by a strong and vibrant technology industry.
“Today at the House of Lords with a distinguished cross-party panel, supported by endorsers across UK industry, we call upon leaders in business, politics and academia to sign-up to our five point manifesto target to achieve a quarter of a million new jobs and further strengthen a world-class UK technology industry of which we can be proud,” said Stephen Kelly, Micro Focus CEO.
“I fully support the Micro Focus Technology Manifesto and look forward to its recommendations after the summer. We have an urgent need to reinforce the development and use of new technology across all sectors of our economy so as to increase our productivity and create more employment,” said Lord Young of Graffham (Conservative). “I am pleased to be a founding member of this cross-party initiative which will enable the UK to compete successfully on a global basis,” continued Lord Young.
“I am similarly pleased to be adding my sponsorship to this cross-party panel which endorses the Micro Focus Technology Manifesto’s priorities for generating the extra employment desperately needed by the UK,” said Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour). “With the right encouragement, the UK technology industry has potential to nurture British talent and generate many more jobs over the coming years.”
“Britain needs to be at the forefront of technology. If we can improve our technology base we can be a world leader,” said Lord Razzall of Mortlake (LibDem). “I am joining this cross-party support for the Micro Focus Manifesto’s commitment to generating more high quality jobs, better products and increased innovation to sell overseas, and make Britain a world class industrial player,” continued Lord Razzall.
“Britain has some very good IP-rich technology companies, but the opportunity exists to have many more in the years to come,” said Richard Holway, Chairman, TechMarketView LLP. “The Micro Focus Technology Manifesto offers an industrial plan to develop a technology industry that can be a force for growth and prosperity at home, and on the global stage. Politics, academia and business leaders should now embrace these recommendations as a roadmap for the growth and regeneration of the technology industry that Britain deserves,” continued Richard Holway.
Along with Richard Holway and the cross-party panel of distinguished politicians, more than 30 influential leaders have endorsed the Technology Manifesto including Jon Moulton, CEO, Alchemy Partners; Adam Hale, Chairman, Prince’s Trust Technology Leadership Group; Neil Berkett, CEO Virgin Media. A full list of endorsers can be found in the notes to editors.
To download a copy of Making Britain Great Again: The Micro Focus Technology Manifesto – Catalyst for UK Growth & Prosperity and sign up to support this initiative visit www.makingBrITainGreat.co.uk
