MPs and entrepreneurs back proposal for new “Elizabethan Order” to recognise achievements in science and technology

London, Monday 14 June - The UK needs a new order of chivalry specifically to recognise invention and innovation and elevate the status of entrepreneurship, science, and technology in the eyes of the public, according to think tank The Entrepreneurs Network. The proposal - outlined in a new report, Honours for Innovators, and supported by MPs and leading figures from the UK entrepreneurship and technology community - would see the “Elizabethan Order” honour up to 273 individuals each year for their achievements and contribution to innovation. The first awards would ideally be made in 2022 as part of the national celebrations to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The report reveals that between 2015 and 2020 fewer than one in ten appointments (9.2 per cent) to the Order of the British Empire through the Queen’s New Years and Birthday honours lists were made for services to “innovation”, “technology”, “entrepreneurship”, “engineering”, “science”, “medicine”, “manufacturing”, or broader related terms such as “industry” and “business” - falling to just 6.7 per cent if “business” is excluded. Even when terms relating to invention and innovation were included in honours citations, it was often in the context of recognising philanthropic, charitable, or political activities and achievements, rather than invention and innovation itself.

The proposed new order would address this failure to give due recognition to inventors and innovators, said Dr Anton Howes, an author and historian of invention, who co-authored the report: “The UK has a rich history of recognising innovators, going back to the honorary medals and cash prizes awarded by the RSA, honours bestowed personally by monarch, now-defunct orders such as the Royal Guelphic, and the erection of statues and blue plaques to notable inventors and scientists. But we have taken backward steps since the Victorian Era, and no current dedicated awards have anything like the status and public profile of the Order of the British Empire, which often favours achievements in sport, the arts, and public life - activities that usually come with fame and prestige anyway. So it’s a shame to see entrepreneurs, inventors, and innovators so marginalised on the honours lists - we can correct this with a new order given equal billing.”

The Elizabethan Order - named in recognition both of the flourishing of science and innovation during the reign of Elizabeth I and of the second Elizabethan Age under the present Queen - would closely resemble the existing Order of the British Empire in its structure. Honourees would be designated Member (ME), Officer (OE), Commander (CE), or Knight (KE) of the Elizabethan Order, with Knights to be referred to as Sir or Dame. There would be up to 273 honourees each year - a reference to -273.15 degrees Celsius being the figure of absolute zero on the kelvin scale, Baron Kelvin having been the first scientist and inventor to be appointed to the House of Lords. Innovation and invention were also notable passions of the late Duke of Edinburgh, which would also allow the awards to recognise the contributions made throughout his lifetime.

The proposal has been received positively by leading figures in the UK innovation ecosystem. Matt Clifford MBE, co-founder and Chief Executive of Entrepreneur First, an entrepreneurship programme that helps founders build teams and businesses around their ideas and provides seed investment, said: “We know that everyone benefits when the most talented members of society apply their abilities to innovation. Raising the status and prestige of innovators is one of the most important ways to encourage invention, so I strongly endorse the idea of a new chivalric order. It could have a disproportionately positive impact relative to its cost."

Jess Butcher MBE, serial technology entrepreneur, angel investor, and Government advisor, added: “The ‘Elizabethan Order' is a fantastic initiative to highlight and reward the very specific contributions made by those individuals inventing the future. There is so much innovation of global importance coming out of the UK, and it is imperative to better recognise the contributions made - not only to celebrate their success, but to encourage future pioneers.”

John Penrose, MP for Weston, Worle, and The Villages, the Prime Minister’s Anti-Corruption Champion, and Chair of Conservative Policy Forum, also endorsed the idea, saying: “Britain has always been better at recognising the achievements of people who rise to the top of established professions and industries, rather than the innovators who create new ones. But, ultimately, the power of ideas is what drives the technologies that create new jobs and economic growth, and that fuel our society and culture too. This is a creative and interesting idea to redress that balance.”

Emma Jones CBE, founder of Enterprise Nation, said “In view of the contribution they make to the economy and society, it would be wonderful to see innovators and entrepreneurs recognised in the way outlined in this proposal of The Elizabethan Order. Innovators set out to solve problems and stretch the art of what is possible and entrepreneurs do the same. Their efforts deliver results in the form of civil advancement, trade opportunities, and global partnerships. They do not do this work to be honoured but to honour them in this way would represent the ultimate recognition of their passion and toil”

The Entrepreneurs Network asked John Petrie OBE, who has designed national honours and decorations for several Commonwealth countries, to visualise insignia and medals of the Elizabethan Order. The choice of an owl references Athena, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom, who is frequently associated with science and invention, and the motto “Merito et Industria” - “achievement and industry” - emphasises the virtues that the honour rewards.

The cost of implementing the proposal would be low, said report co-author Ned Donovan: “Including an up-front cost in the region of £15,000 to £20,000 for the preparation of dies, ribbon designs, and other elements of setup - and assuming a distribution of awards across the different classes that mirrors that of the existing honours system - the annual cost of insignia for appointees to the Elizabethan Order would be just £66,000, less than the annual salary of a single MP. The return in terms of increased public awareness and inspiration would easily be many times that. And we have the infrastructure to decide on appointments, with committees already in place to review public nominations for the Order of the British Empire in the fields of science and technology, health, and business and the economy, that could take on the role.”

-ENDS-

About the report

Note on Methodology - Figures relating to the proportion of Order of the British Empire awards given to inventors and innovators exclude the 2020 Queen’s Birthday honours list and the 2021 New Year’s and Queen’s Birthday lists, the compositions of which were significantly skewed by moves to recognise contributions to the fight against Covid-19. Discounting these lists provides a more representative picture of the long-term trends in the awarding of honours.
Download - The full report, Honours For Innovators, is available to read and download here.

About the authors

Dr Anton Howes is a historian of invention, and head of innovation research at The Entrepreneurs Network.
Ned Donovan is a writer and former national newspaper journalist, having worked as a news reporter and foreign correspondent. He is also a member of the Orders and Medals Research Society.

About The Entrepreneurs Network

The Entrepreneurs Network is a think tank for the ambitious owners of Britain’s fastest growing businesses and aspirational entrepreneurs.