Yes, it’s only May but CMM is conferring speech of the year award on Chief Scientist Alan Finkel, for an address yesterday to a road transport conference. “What the truck?” CMM readers would never say, but Dr Finkel delivered his usual erudite, amusing, inspiring address with applications way beyond the rooom he was working.  He talked of the  challenges that confront people with new ideas, about the endless effort required to win public support for innovation and keep the community’s confidence.

Strange to relate, there was not a word about higher education but Dr Finkel’s had messages for truckies applies to universities.

Regulation is a friend if it protects consumers and pushes progress.

The new frontier is ideas – artificial intelligence, data analytics and the blockchain.

And quality is what counts;  “quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.”