The DIUS (Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills) consultation on its Innovation Strategy closes on 31st January. This goes to heart of UK survival as a technologically advanced nation. Make your views known - via all channels open to you.
The invitation to submit views was apparently made in November, put on line in December and announced to Parliament just over a week ago.
The Chair of the EURIM Knowledge Economy Group met with the Minister in November and promised inputs to the pre-consultation but I have seen no publicity, other than an oblique reference in current EURIM newsletter, for this most important opportunity to input views before the Science and Innovation strategy is drafted for publication and subsequent "dialogue and discussion around the Strategy and priorities identifed".
You may think that gives you a later bite at the cherry. But by the time the strategy is published it will be too late to do other than fight a rear-guard action against ideas to which political reputations have already been linked.
You have barely a fortnight in which to make your views known.
What should you do?
1) Visit the consultation page and register: then read the documentation. Note that you can edit your initial response later - but you are limited to 1,000 words on each question.
2) Contact your Trade Association and Professional Body, get them to both register and convene an urgent meeting to discuss headline inputs. If they are members of EURIM, ensure they send some-one you respect (seniority, experience etc.) with a good brief (known members' views and priorities and areas where membership consultation are planned) to the meeting to enable EURIM's Coporate and Associate members to discuss inputs.
Remember that the next fortnight is the main opportunity to change the agenda from that already in mind.
P.S. I have just arranged for the actual wording of the questions to be placed on the EURIM website because they are not at all easy to find on the conusltation website.