The age of invention isn't dead - it just needs time

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/23/age-of-invention-is-not-dead-innovation

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The doom-mongers deem us past our creative peak, unable to invent like we used to. According to the US economist Robert Gordon, whose comments were reported in the Wall Street Journal last week, all the "important stuff" has been created; we have run out of the big, life-changing ideas needed to spur rapid economic growth and engineers are now just tweaking at the edges. Innovations such as mobile phones, Gordon says, have had less impact than, say the invention of indoor plumbing.

But this is a misunderstanding of how engineers work. There is no "Eureka!" moment. The steam engine, computer and aeroplane: none sprung up out of the blue. Instead, a gut feeling was followed by years of stubborn, hard graft, thousands of prototypes and dogged perseverance. Invention cannot be reduced to a single date on the calendar.

Developing new technology is incremental; little by little, you inch closer to the right answer. You build upon the work of those before you, thinking about what could be done better; what could be improved. It's an unending task. Michael Faraday invented the first electric motor. But Faraday's breakthrough followed William Sturgeon's invention of the electromagnet, and Alessandro Volta's invention of the battery before that. Faraday would have expected future engineers to pick up the baton later down the line.

Dwindling energy supplies, booming populations and mass urbanisation keep clever young engineers awake at night. Those, for example, who enter the annual James Dyson Award invent things that solve these problems and more. The 2012 winner Dan Watson designed a clever system of escape rings for trawler nets that tackles the issue of overfishing – not a glamorous topic, but his invention is brilliant nevertheless. Human inventiveness remains undiminished in the face of new global challenges.

Our problem is patience. We expect new technology at a rate like never before. Naysayers are already questioning graphene. They ask why the wonder material hasn't yet changed our lives. Graphene was only discovered in 2004. Stainless steel was almost 100 years in the making. In a digital world it's easy to forget that invention takes time. As we lurch between fads, let's not forget that software can only exist with the hardware to boot. Whereas the basic programmes on a fighter jet can be knocked together in a matter of months, genuine improvements in physical technology take decades.

The government might herald Silicon Roundabout, but the next Frank Whittle won't be found in Shoreditch. They'll be found tucked away in a research lab actually developing something tangible. With such a focus on the here and now, it's more important than ever that we support inventors in bridging the gap between concept and commercialisation. The government is starting to lend its support to engineering but could go further. It is encouraging to see Michael Gove put design and technology at the top of his curriculum reforms.

But, bogged down in debate about curriculum reform, I worry that we neglect our current crop of university students. Supporting the development of new technology campuses is essential, but it's even more important we actually incentivise bright minds to fill them up. This is where the government can help with meritocratic grants that select the brightest and the best postgraduates for tuition waivers. Beyond this, we need to offer postgraduate scientists and engineers competitive wages so that they don't ditch their ideas and head into finance or banking.

I can't tell you the world's next big invention. Last week brought news that we've invented a new way to tackle antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Next week may bring a major development in another field. The biggest thing holding invention back is our impatience. With enough time and support, bright young engineers will develop exciting new technology to solve the world's trickiest problems. Many have already begun.