The Confederation of British Industry stated on August 11 that the UK should fund science students and give bursaries of £1,000.

But the CBI, Government and senior civil servants in Whitehall are hypocrites in this respect, as they do not understand the unique importance of science and engineering in the first place.

As a prime example of their ignorance and how important our engineers and scientists are to the "Establishment", in 2003 the Government awarded the CBE and not a knighthood to Professor John Argyris FRS FREng, the modern-day inventor of the Finite Element Method (FEM) and debatably the greatest engineer of the last century.

This incredible engineering design tool, which all major corporations and institutions around the world use as their primary design tool, has saved countless lives through safer structures, aircrafts, cars, railways, dams etc.

Even the US's most eminent structural engineer Professor Ray Clough acknowledged in his 1960 publication that the FEM was the Argyris method.

As this was debatably the greatest engineering invention of the 20th century and possibly the 21st century, this should have equated to a knighthood at least, but not here in Britain within high places.

Therefore until the Prime Minister, senior civil servants, the CBI and so on understand the real worth of their engineers and scientists, nothing will really change. Instead film stars et al are the ones they give their highest awards, not those who literally change the world.

Therefore the CBI had better understand the worth of engineers and scientists first before they spout off their mouths on what to them is most probably a whimsical announcement to make them feel and look good in the eyes of the public.

(Dr) David Hill

World Innovation Foundation Charity