So, any self-respecting intro to a live Q&A about technology research should wax lyrical about the wide range of innovation going on across the UK - and the world, right? But, where to start?
It's so extensive, each of us are touched in some way by the achievements of those involved in research and developing different technologies every day - whether it is the mobile phone you use or the computer you're reading this on - or perhaps thanks to them you're actually reading this blog on your mobile phone. Anyway, you get the picture.
So instead, I thought I'd share with you a great example of how exciting - and cutting edge - working with top technology can be. UK Sport, the government organisation responsible for investing over £100m per year in Britain's best Olympic and Paralympic athletes, has been overseeing a research and innovation programme since 2003 that had coincided with British athletes' rise up the medal tables, according to the Telegraph.
A growing hi-tech arsenal is being developed for use in a wide variety of sports - just one example is tiny nanosensors, thinner than a human hair, which can be implanted into an athlete's skin to continually measure what is happening to physiological elements such as glucose. And this is the really exciting bit - the information can be sent to a coach via a Wi-Fi system to their iPads or iPhone.
So, if examples of such innovative technological developments have whet your appetite for getting involved in this type of research, or you'd like to know more about the careers on offer, join our experts in a live Q&A on 15 December.
Our panel:
Mark Leaver is an independent consultant concentrating on the development of projects combining creative media and digital technologies. Mark is currently a producer on the Media Sandbox scheme, funding innovation and experimentation with new technologies, and also creating business development opportunities in China and Singapore through his project management agency, Parameter.
Dr Moneeb Awan is managing director of eSAY Mobile, a mobile technology company supplying mobile business applications on smartphones. Prior to launching eSAY, Moneeb was a senior research fellow at University College London (UCL).
Raouf Hamzaoui is a professor of media technology in the Faculty of Technology at De Montfort University (DMU). His research interests include communications engineering and signal processing. He is also head of research students strategy for the Faculty of Technology. This role includes overseeing the faculty's provision for research students' training.
Keith Day is vice-president of marketing for Ubiquisys, an independent manufacturer of intelligent 3G femtocells. Keith has 20 years marketing leadership experience in the IT and telecommunications industry, including experience in software, hardware and outsourcing.
Dr Sriram Subramanian is a reader in the Computer Science department of the University of Bristol, where he is also part of the Bristol Interaction and Graphics group. Before joining the university, he worked as a senior scientist at Philips Research lab in the Netherlands. Dr Subramanian's research interest is in the area of human-computer interaction.
Maggie Berry runs womenintechnology.co.uk, an online job board and networking forum for women working in the technology profession in the UK. The network now has more than 6,000 members and the job board is helping a wide range of investment banks and technology firms to recruit more women into their IT divisions.
Claire Goodwin is an experienced recruiter with seven years experience in supplying recruitment solutions to leading financial institutions and blue-chip companies. Claire currently runs the recruitment team at womenintechnology.co.uk, which offers clients access to a wider and more diverse talent pool.
