ECO Invention drive to make UK world beaters

Youngest inventors targeted to keep Britain in top league of green inventors

The UK is among the world's leading nations for eco-friendly inventions, it is revealed today.

The news comes as the UK Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO) launches a competition to encourage Britain's youngest inventors to think green when coming up with new ideas.

Research by the UK Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO), shows that Britain is in the top six for the number of energy saving inventions. The table is headed by Japan followed by China, America, Germany and Korea.

The UK-IPO is committed to encouraging green innovation and is using this as a focus for the launch of its flagship education project for primary school aged children.

The UK-IPO's Cracking Ideas 2008 is launched today at the Education Show being held at Birmingham's NEC.

Cracking Ideas offers teachers resources and activities for the classroom through their website, the resources link to a nationwide competition to find the inventors of tomorrow. Children aged 9-11 will be encouraged to come up with a new invention - with the emphasis on something eco friendly.

The campaign is backed by Oscar® winners Wallace & Gromit and uses inspiration from their new film A Matter of Loaf and Death and features their own green inventions. Prizes for the winning schools include a special screening of the new film.

Minister for Intellectual Property Baroness Delyth Morgan said it was an important initiative to get children thinking about innovation at an early age.

"Cracking Ideas is fantastic for encouraging primary school aged children to innovate. It's great that this year we are getting children to think about green innovations.

The UK is proud of its innovating tradition and our work on energy saving devices. Cracking Ideas keeps us at the forefront of this vital field.

We are very fortunate that Wallace and Gromit and Aardman Animations have played a part in bringing this exciting project to life in our schools, and I would like to thank them for their support," she said.

Trevor Baylis, one of Britain's most famous inventors, has also recently launched the innovative Eco Media Player. The inventor of the Wind-up Radio has brought the idea to a modern media player which stores 500 songs and comes with a radio and torch. It plays music for 20 hours before it needs to be charged - and this is done by cranking a fold-up handle at the rear rather than plugging it in.

Notes to editors

The official launch will be at 11:00 Friday February 29 at the UK-IPO Stand (F50) at The Education Show, NEC, Birmingham.

For more information, pictures and interviews, contact Sarah Challenger, UK-IPO on 01633 814305, or Ed Stearns, Mason Media on 0207 3951104 or 07939 188889 or ed@masonmedia.co.uk

The UK Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO) is the government body responsible for the establishment and maintenance of the national framework of intellectual property rights (IPRs) (patents, designs, trade marks and copyright) and the granting and management of rights within that framework. UK-IPO leads and promotes UK interests in European and international efforts to harmonise and simplify IP law.

More information about Cracking Ideas can be found on the Cracking Ideas website.

Aardman, based in Bristol, co-founded and run by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, is a world leader in animation. It produces feature films, television series and television commercials for both the domestic and international market. The studio has won over 400 international awards including 4 Oscars®.

Aardman's multi-award winning productions are novel, entertaining, brilliantly characterised and full of charm that reflects the unique talent, energy and personal commitment of the very special people who make up the Aardman team. The studio's work is often imitated and yet the company continues to lead the field producing a rare brand of visually stunning and amusing independent and commercials productions.

Date of release: 29 February 2008