A grand day out for aspiring young inventors

Oscar® winners Wallace and Gromit will be at the heart of a major government-backed exhibition at the Science Museum designed to inspire a new generation of British innovators.

Minister for Intellectual Property, Baroness Delyth Morgan, announced the new £2m exhibition at the Aardman Animations studio in Bristol today (Wednesday, 1 October).

The exhibition, due to open in spring 2009, will tap into Wallace and Gromit's famous flair for invention with interactive exhibits, creative activities and animated displays, all of which will be themed around the fictional characters' house.

It will also have a serious side - encouraging innovators young and old to protect their intellectual property to ensure they derive the maximum value from their ideas, and to encourage a positive respect for the intellectual property of others.

Baroness Delyth Morgan said:

"Britain has a proud history of inventing and creativity, from the jet engine and the world wide web, through to our creative industries and the Aardman Studio in Bristol. In an increasingly competitive world our future economic prosperity will depend on our ability to translate creativity and ideas into value.

Young minds hold the key to future discoveries that will change our lives one day. Encouraging innovation with this fun and interactive exhibition is just the first step."

Nick Park, creator of Wallace and Gromit said:

"Inventiveness has always been central to Wallace's character and I have sketch books full of Wallace's eccentric inventions that have never made it to the screen. It is fantastic that Wallace & Gromit can excite young kids about innovation in this way."

Editors' notes

• The World of Wallace and Gromit exhibition is being developed by Aardman Animation in partnership with the UK Intellectual Property Office to inspire children to innovate and be creative. It also aims to encourage children to appreciate the value own their ideas and to understand how they can exploit these if protected by intellectual property rights.
• The £2.1 million exhibition is expected to run for six months from March 2009 and is being funded by the UK-IPO.
• 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.
• SGA Productions will design and produce the exhibition on behalf of Aardman.
• Nick Park joined Aardman in 1985 where he completed "A Grand Day Out", Wallace and Gromit's first adventure.
• The Science Museum is home to more than 12,000 objects and provides a fascinating insight into the worlds of science, technology, medicine and industry. Hands-on galleries, drama characters and science shows bring to life the past, present and future of human scientific ingenuity. See and interact with major scientific advances from the last 300 years, from original working steam engines to the actual Apollo 10 command module, all spread over seven floors on a site ¼ mile long.
• For enquiries about the UK Intellectual Property Office press or media activities please contact the Communications Team on +44 (0)1633 814041.