Archive opinion — Trevor Baylis, inventor of the wind-up radio

These are testing times for young inventors. Spending cuts have taken so much out of the economy that growth in the engineering and manufacturing industry over the next few years will be slow, threatening the next generation of budding inventors.

A lack of training is only half the issue. Even when young inventors manage to identify a solution to a problem, there is little support to give them the practical help and advice they need to get their idea implemented.

When I came up with the idea of Orange Aids back in 1985, intellectual property and patenting were completely new concepts to me. I went into business blind as a result, having been given no guidance whatsoever on how to turn my idea into something commercially viable. I made deals too hastily, doing business on a handshake and my word of honour, and I made a number of errors as a consequence. I still regret these to this day.