IET: Internet pioneers awarded engineering prize by HM The Queen

The winners of the inaugural Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Robert Kahn, Vint Cerf, Louis Pouzin, will today receive their trophies from Her Majesty The Queen.

Europe’s largest engineers’ body, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has endorsed the initiative, which it hopes will encourage more young people to consider a career in engineering.

IET President, Professor Andy Hopper said: “Most importantly to me, this prize is about showing off the best of the best and reminding society that world-changing innovations are so often born inside the minds of engineers. The IET warmly welcomes the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering and congratulates this year’s winners. My hope is that this prize will, in the years ahead, become one of the most revered and respected prizes in the world.

“The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering has the potential to be a real game-changer in terms of raising the profile of engineers and engineering. In this country, there is still a general lack of awareness of how engineering underpins people’s everyday lives, as well as being a bedrock of the UK economy. This prize is a big step in the right direction to putting that right.”

According to research by Engineering UK, between 2010 and 2020, engineering companies are projected to have 2.74 million job openings across a diverse range of disciplines. However, only 20 per cent of 12- to 16-year-olds are aware of what engineering is.

To encourage more young people into engineering, this year, the IET has invested over £2 million in scholarships with the launch of the Diamond Jubilee Scholarships fund.

Media enquiries to:

Robert Beahan
Media Relations Manager

Tel: +44 (0)1438 767336
Mob: +44 (0)7595 400912
Email: rbeahan@theiet.org

Notes to editors:

Interview opportunities are available with IET spokespersons.

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