What’s in a name?

When Andrew Witty used the term “invention revolution”, he meant it, writes David Docherty.

Last week I chaired the launch of Andrew Witty’s report on encouraging economic growth by fostering relationships between British universities and businesses. The response among the 120 education and business leaders in the room was generally positive, as was the coverage on traditional and social media.

As the day rolled on, however, I noticed that the review’s title—Encouraging a British Invention Revolution—slid under the radar. Most commentators focussed immediately on the money (new or remixed), the acronym-loaded method of its delivery (HEIF, REF and LEPs) or its metaphors (arrows or catapults), rather than on the name.