6/6/2018 The Alvey Programme Informatics Informatics Department The Alvey Programme Informatics → Alvey Overview The Alvey Programme was the dominating focus of Information Technology research in the period 1983 to 1988. Prior to the Alvey Programme, university, industrial and government research were primarily separate activities. The Science and Engineering Research Council's research grants were, on the whole, reactive in that proposals were sent in and SERC either accepted or rejected them. In the late 1970s, SERC had become more pro-active with the appearance of Specially Promoted Programmes such as the Distributed Computing Systems Programme that ran from 1977 to 1984. Here the emphasis was placed on a coordinated programme of research in an area which was regarded as particularly relevant. The Alvey Programme made a major change to the way computing research was organised in the UK as a whole. For a variety of reasons, it was decided that there needed to be a more focused way of doing industrial and university research in this important area. Some of the main points were: The area was pre-competitive advanced information technology research The focus was four areas that seemed particularly relevant at the time: Software Engineering Intelligent Knowledge Based Systems Man Machine Interaction Advanced Microelectronics (VLSI Design) Research was a collaboration between academia, government and industry Research was directed into important areas and coordinated Funding was substantial, £350M at 1982 prices The involvement of Informatics Department in the Programme came about because of its role in coordinating the DCS Programme and later the Software Technology Initiative. Bob Hopgood, Rob Witty and David Duce were the three academic coordinators over the life of the DCS Programme. Rob Witty moved from DCS to fulfill a similar role with the Software Technology Initiative. In both programmes, the importance of a standard infrastructure was emphasised. It allowed researchers to concentrate on research and fostered the interchange of results. The Atlas Computing Division had been heavily involved in the provision of that infrastructure and Informatics performed a similar role for the Alvey Programme. Some of the ideas and directions that came about in the Alvey Programme borrowed from the work of an earlier SERC panel, the Roberts Panel. This was formed in October 1977 under the chairmanshhip of Derek Roberts of GEC and included Colin Haley of ICL, Iann Barron of Inmos (who had chaired the DCS Programme), and Philip Hughes of Logica, all of whom became members of the Alvey Committee. Bob Hopgood acted as secretary to the Roberts Panel. The panel recommended that silicon chip design, software technology, database utilization, man machine interaction, robotics and artificial intelligence were important areas that needed improvements in education and training as well as research. The recommendations were never implemented in full by SERC but it did lead to more directed research in SERC and paved the way for the Alvey Programme. New graduate-level courses in integrated circuit design, supported by RAL, were set up. The Software Technology Initiative was launched (it ran from 1981 to 1984). A Specially Promoted Programme in IKBS was under consideration when the Alvey Programme was http://www.chilton-computing.org.uk/inf/alvey/overview.htm 1/2 6/6/2018 The Alvey Programme launched. The proposal was made to SERC in May 1982 and a Research Area Review Meeting (RARM) took place in September 1982 and the results of this meeting were a major input into the definition of the Alvey IKBS Programme. A good source of information on the Alvey Programme is the book Alvey by Brian Oakley and Kenneth Owen (MIT Press). 4:04 / 4:24 1983 IT film on Alvey programme http://www.chilton-computing.org.uk/inf/alvey/overview.htm 2/2 6/7/2018 The Alvey Programme Informatics Informatics Department The Alvey Programme Informatics → Alvey Conferences The first Alvey Conference was organised at Edinburgh in 1985. Geoffrey Pattie had by then succeeded Kenneth Baker as Minister for State and Industry. The second took place at Sussex University's Falmer campus in 1986. This was the time when a number of major changes took place in the Alvey Directorate: Rob Witty replaced David Talbot in Software Engineering David Shorter replaced David Thomas in IKBS Chris Barrow left MMI and his work was distributed between other Directors Alvey Conference, Sussex: Cliff Pavelin talks to Geoffrey Pattie, Rob Morland, Alvey VLSI Director looks on, July 1986 Large View http://www.chilton-computing.org.uk/inf/alvey/p006.htm 1/4 6/7/2018 The Alvey Programme Alvey Conference, Sussex: Left to Right: Tony Dignan (Ferranti), Mike Falla (Software Sciences), Hui Chiu and Mike Russell (RAL) who were part of the Software Engineering team run by David Talbot and Rob Witty. In the white suit behind is Geoffrey Pattie Minister for IT who took over from Ken Baker., July 1986 Large View The third Alvey Conference took place at UMIST in Manchester in 1987. http://www.chilton-computing.org.uk/inf/alvey/p006.htm 2/4 6/7/2018 The Alvey Programme Alvey Conference, Manchester: Informatics Graphical Tools Stand, July 1987 Large View http://www.chilton-computing.org.uk/inf/alvey/p006.htm 3/4 6/7/2018 The Alvey Programme Alvey Conference, Manchester. Chris Crampton, Peter Kirstein, Crispin Goswell at the Informatics Stand, July 1987 Large View http://www.chilton-computing.org.uk/inf/alvey/p006.htm 4/4 6/6/2018 The Alvey Programme Informatics Informatics Department The Alvey Programme Informatics → Alvey Alvey Directorate Between April and September 1982, the Alvey Committee formulated the research programme that was submitted to Kenneth Baker on 3 September 1982. The Alvey Directorate was established by mid-1983. The major events over that period were: the SERC original plan for an IKBS-led programme was changed to a broader-based programme based on four technologies with members of the Committee taking the lead in each: VLSI: Derek Roberts Software Engineering: Philip Hughes IKBS: Charles Read Man Machine Interaction (MMI): Colin Hayley The VLSI programme was a modification of the UK's input to ESPRIT The Software Engineering programme drew on the Software Technology Initiative and the ESPRIT software technology strategy The IKBS programme was significantly influenced by SERC's proposed SPP in IKBS The MMI programme was the one that was devised almost from scratch. The Alvey Report was published on 6 October 1982. Kenneth Baker presented it to industry at an IT82 event at the Barbican Centre in December Mrs Thatcher accepted the proposals on the 28 April 1983. Brian Oakley, who was at the time Secretary of SERC, became Director of the Alvey Programme in May 1983 with Laurence Clarke, GEC, as his deputy. Laurence had been Chairman of SRC's Information Engineering Committee. The Directors of the four programmes and the infrastructure were: IKBS: David Thomas from SERC, previously Head of Technology at RAL supported by Bill Sharpe of Informatics Software Engineering: David Talbot from ICL with Rob Witty from Informatics as his Deputy VLSI: Bill Fawcett from RSRE MMI: Chris Barrow from Plessey Infrastructure: Derek Barber The Programme put together 210 projects lasting on average 3 years and involving 2500 people at its peak. http://www.chilton-computing.org.uk/inf/alvey/p002.htm 1/1 6/6/2018 The Alvey Programme Informatics Informatics Department The Alvey Programme Informatics → Alvey History Some important events leading up to the Alvey Programme are listed. 1973: Lighthill Sir James Lighthill's damning review of Artificial Intelligence led to a major cutback in AI research funding for the next 7 years 1976 DCS Iann Barron appointed to lead SRC's Distributed Computing Systems Programme, SRC's first attempt to establish a coordinated programme of research in the Information Technology (IT) area. 1977 Roberts Panel Special panel of SRC under the Chairmanship of Derek Roberts of GEC recommended a national programme of research and education/training in key areas of IT. 1980 Kenneth Baker Presented a paper A National Strategy for Information Technology advocating a Minister for IT, joint research between academia, government and industry, better IT education. 1981 Minister for IT Kenneth Baker appointed Minister for IT. 1981 Project Universe Project Universe was the first large scale IT research project involving academia, industry and government 1981 Software Technology Initiative SERC launch a Specially Promoted Programme (SPP) in Software Technology coordinated by Rob Witty of RAL. 1981 Japanese Fifth Generation Project Announced Japan launches a major project in: Inference computer technologies for knowledge processing Computers for large-scale data bases and knowledge bases High performance workstations Distributed functional computer technologies Super-computers for scientific calculation The aim was to an attempt to leapfrog existing computer expertise and create an entirely new computer technology. 1982 Information Technology Year IT82 was a £4M national IT awareness campaign. 1981/2 IKBS SPP Proposed Over the period 1981-82, the Artificial Intelligence community proposed a major advance in AI funding through an SPP in Intelligent Knowledge Based Systems (IKBS) 1982 Cosener's House Meeting Workshop held by SERC at RAL's Cosener's House in January to define a UK response to the Japanese programme; UK academics were being solicited to join the Japanese research programme. Proposed IT87, a five-year