It appears at first glance to have been a frustrating few days for researchers keen to see UK innovation take a giant leap forward.

On the one hand, a public sector task force has outlined proposals for an e-infrastructure strong enough to support nationwide research and development.

At the same time, however, the government has asked for further clarification before supporting plans for a European research organisation to rival the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Such contradictory thinking might look like a case of one satisfying step forward, one exasperating step back.

But behind the incongruity is a similarity in judgement: a recognition that while innovation is the key to global competitiveness, it cannot be obtained without private sector backing.

Take, for example, the pioneering proposals for a research e-infrastructure. The private sector has been integral

to planning development, helping the e-infrastructure working party – which includes the Joint Information Systems Committee and the British Library – to establish a series of core technical elements.

In the area of digital preservation, the working group has sought feedback from 15 sectors, including education and banking. Private sector individuals are keen to retain digital data, while reducing the cost of keeping it.

Both motives are sound at a time when more information is moving online. The British Library recently estimated that 40 per cent of UK research will only be available in electronic format by 2020.

The e-infrastructure proposals will help individuals cope with rights management issues in a digital society, where research developments might include more than 2,000 scientists across the globe.

It is hoped plans for a £1.6bn European MIT, or European Institute of Technology, will have a similar effect, creating a network of knowledge and innovation communities.

But the government and business groups are keen to explore the potential for the private sector to invest in the proposed research organisation.

As plans for the e-infrastructure show, gauging private sector feedback can only be a good thing. UK innovation in the knowledge economy will rely on a series of partnerships across all sectors.

What do you think? Email: feedback@computing.co.uk