Cambridge
Cambridge is one of the most famous university cities in the world, and one of
the most beautiful. Millions of tourists come every year to admire its ancient
college buildings and enjoy punt trips along the willow-lined River Cam.
Cambridge University is over 800 years old and has more than 30 colleges,
among them King's, with its magnificent chapel dating back to the 15th
century, and Trinity, whose former students include Sir Isaac Newton, Lord
Byron and Prince Charles.
As well as its academic heritage, the city has carved out a more contemporary
fame around the world. It was the cradle of the computer industry - one of the
earliest computers was designed by a Cambridge scientist, Charles Babbage, in
the 19th century and in the 1960s and 70s, researchers led by Professor
Maurice Wilkes developed the first digital computer. The city is also
celebrated for its medical research. Among its pioneers were William Harvey
(who discovered how blood circulates), Cesar Milstein (discoverer of
monoclonal antibodies - used to attack cancerous cells), DNA researchers James
Watson and Francis Crick, and Patrick Steptoe and Bob Edwards (who gave life
to the world's first test-tube baby).
Cambridge Science Park
The jewel in Cambridge's scientific crown is the Cambridge Science Park,
established by Trinity College in the early 1970s.
The land on the north-eastern edge of the city has belonged to the college
since its foundation by King Henry VIII in the 16th century, and during World
War Two it was requisitioned by the US Army to prepare tanks for the D-Day
landings in Europe. In the mid-Sixties, the government urged UK universities
to increase their contact with industry to promote technology transfer, and so
the Science Park came into being.
The first company, Laser-Scan, moved onto the site in 1973, and Napp followed
in 1983, occupying the flagship building, which now symbolises the park
worldwide. Today there are nearly 70 companies based on the Science Park,
employing about 5,000 people. Some are start-up or incubator companies that
have spun out of research programmes led by Cambridge scientists. As well as
medical research firms, there are companies specialising in computer hardware
and software, telecommunications, biotechnology and innovation. The park also
has a state of the art conference centre, restaurants, a fitness centre, and
an on-site nursery.
