GRADUATION 2014 Presentation Speech for Dr Hermann Hauser For

GRADUATION 2014 Presentation speech for Dr Hermann Hauser for the honorary degree of Master of Arts of the University honoris causa Chancellor, When Hermann Hauser became a Fellow of the Royal Society, he was described as a Science Entrepreneur, whose ventures had been at the forefront of UK innovation. Above all he had been an inspiration for generations of entrepreneurs who had been directly involved in many companies, providing enthusiasm, mentoring and financing leading to technology based wealth creation. It sounds admirable but rather like a modernized version of the list of Ciceronian virtues carved on an 18 th century tombstone. We get a better sense of our Honorand from Micro Men, the affectionately comic drama about the British home computer boom of the early 80s in which the legendary inventor Sir Clive Sinclair battles it out with the founders of Acorn Computers – Chris Curry and Hermann Hauser. It is striking that Hauser still says that some of his best moments are when people come up to him in the street and say ‘Thanks for the BBC Micro.’ The BBC Micro, fondly known as the Beeb was indeed absolutely to educating the UK about the IT revolution. But, Chancellor, there is a great deal more to our Honorand. Under his guidance, Acorn spun out ARM, E-trade, Virata and Cambridge network. He spent some time as vice president of research at Olivetti and 1997 1 he founded Amadeus Capital Partners. I think what makes him really important is his understanding of the ways in which innovation, science clusters and venture capital should fit together. In 2012, Hauser gave a fascinating talk at the UK Trade and Investment Venture Capital Event held at the British Embassy in Vienna. Hauser was born in Vienna – so Amadeus Capital Partners is well named. His theme was innovation and its role in the British economy of the future. It is striking that the Austrian Hauser seems quite optimistic about Britain’s future – perhaps more so than many native born Britons. He believes that Britain is actually quite well placed as far as its science base for innovation is concerned. In terms of the quality of the research conducted at its Universities, Britain has a leading position in Europe and in world terms is second only to the USA. In points out that there is little hope of competing with low wage economies in relatively low technology industries. Growth can only come from the application of innovation. Hauser thinks that innovation in software, social networking and medical technology looks particularly promising. Of course, in the past, Britain was exceptionally good at inventing things but exceptionally bad at developing them and bringing them to the market. Hauser has developed a model for overcoming this problem. Innovation must be developed through science companies, located together as science clusters - exemplified in ‘Silicon Fen’ near Cambridge and with which Hauser has been closely associated since the 1970s. It is the close proximity of one scientific group with another, coupled with a readiness not to keep their technologies to themselves – a topic on which our own Vice Chancellor feels strongly – that really gets the fly wheel of innovation spinning. But there is also the vital financial 2 element. Hauser points out that when Acorn was founded he had to get a bank loan. Now the crucial element is the provision of vibrant venture capital, exemplified in Hauser’s own Amadeus Capital Partners. Chancellor, one of the books I always ask my students to read is called English Culture and the Decline of the Industrial Spirit by one Martin Wiener – an interesting coincidence that. Wiener argues that many of Britain’s long term problems arose from the nature of its academic culture which was positively hostile to business. Hauser himself says that he has encountered academics who were appalled when it was suggested that their inventions could have commercial applications. But he thinks that this is all changing. Now academics recognize that it is part of their responsibility to develop and share their inventions to the benefit of UK Plc. These are ideas which are warmly echoed in all parts of this University and we hope to play our own part in their realization. Chancellor, I call upon you to confer upon Hermann Maria Hauser, the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa Professor John Clarke, MA, DPhil 22 March 2014 3 .

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