CONTENTS

BRITISH INNOVATION

A springboard to global growth
Andrew Cahn, UK Trade & Investment

Innovation: the business of shaping our world
David Golding, Technology Strategy Board

Going global
Jonathan Kestenbaum, NESTA

Diversity is good for innovation
Annette Williams, UKRC for Women in SET

Promoting physics supporting physicists
Institute of Physics

The cost-saving CEO
Taylor Wessing

The BIC network
UK Trade & Investment

Innovation inspires R&D tax relief
PricewaterhouseCoopers

OPEN INNOVATION

KEY TECHNOLOGY

Addressing cross sectoral issues
Integrated Products Manufacturing KTN

Research Councils

Meeting the global challenge
Research Councils

The UK?s National Science and Innovation Campuses
Science & Technology Facilities Council

Aerospace & Defence

Enabling technology through innovative approaches
Aerospace & Defence KTN

Defence technologies for civilian applications
Ploughshare Innovations

Biometrics

Securing the future
Intellect Association for Biometrics

Biotechnology

Supporting life sciences in the capital
London First

Tackling the threat of electronic crime
Cyber Security KTN

Electronics

From invention to innovation
Electronics KTN

Grid Computing Now! KTN

Energy

A global fusion
UK Atomic Energy Authority

Design for a one planet economy
Giraffe Innovation

Managing carbon in the corporate and public sectors
Greenstone Carbon Management

Towards an energy efficient future
British Electrotechnical and Allied

Manufacturers Association (BEAMA) Home help
Energy Institute

Healthcare

Connecting people and technology
Health Technologies KTN

A centre of excellence for innovative translational research
University of Birmingham

Feeling your way to design success
NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement

University-industry collaborations
Imperial College London

Lost in translation
Pearson Matthews Innovation Consultants

Location and Timing

Location and Timing KTN
Intelligent Transport Systems

Mapping the route to intelligent transport systems deployment
Innovits KTN

Drive down fleet costs and reduce carbon emissions?
Energy Saving Trust

DRIVENet and sustainable vehicle engineering
Oxford Brookes University

Manufacturing

Breaking the mould
Manufacturing Technologies Association

University of Nottingham

An innovative history
Scott Bader

Innovation for tomorrow?s built environment
Modern Built Environment KTN

MATERIALS

Innovations in materials deliver value for money
Materials KTN

Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology in the UK
Nano KTN

Linking technology push with market pull
NanoCentral

Running the risks
European Nanotechnology Trade Alliance

Nanofabrication solutions
Kelvin Nanotechnology

Innovative science for global applications
Oxford Instruments

Leading positive change for global industry
The Centre for Process Innovation

PHOTONICS

Making light work for industry
Photonics KTN

SENSORS & INSTRUMENTS

Unlocking the potential of the UK?s sensing community
Sensors & Instruments KTN

CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE

Investing in the future
Invest Northern Ireland

Ulster innovation delivering business success
University of Ulster

Focus: Northern Ireland

Belfast ? a city of creativity and innovation
Belfast City Council

A natural centre for innovation
London Development Agency

England?s East Midlands ? an innovative region
East Midlands Development Agency

Making it in Leeds
The City of Leeds

Collaboration in wireless technologies
Wireless Centre of Industrial Collaboration

Industrial Collaboration at the University of Leeds
Engineering Design CIC

Innovations
One North East

Focus: North West of England

Connectivity, Catchment, Cost
St. Helens

Focus: South West of England

Be part of the equation
West of England Partnership

All change for Hastings
Innovation Centre Hastings

ITI Scotland

UK SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY PARKS

Raising the standards
UK Science Park Association

Special focus: collaboration
Edinburgh Science Triangle

Innovation: the key to economic growth
County Durham Development Company

Solutions across boundaries
Norwich Research Park

Partnership provides innovation success
Wolverhampton Science Park

BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

The outsourcing advantage
Business Services Association

Fast start UK
Tenon Outsourcing

Inward investment trends
HSBC

Divine intervention
British Business Angels Association

Know your rights
Intellectual Property Office

A perfect patent
Beresford & Co

Putting IP at the centre of business strategy
Cambridge Intellectual Property

USEFUL INFORMATION

Science lessons
GovNet Communications

Useful addresses

BRITISH INNOVATION

The cost-saving CEO

by David Kent, Head Of Inward Investment, london,Taylor Wessing Llp, European Law Firm

This article contains frequent comments from CEOs and CFOs of many companies investing in the UK. Beneath these is a commentary provided by Taylor Wessing?s Inward Investment Team addressing the identified situations.

1. ?I don?t need an employee or an entity. I will use a contractor instead.?

Let?s contrast an employee with a contractor, under English law. Nine times out of ten a so-called contractor is actually an employee. Under English law employees have a right to receive a contract or note of their terms and conditions and should be given a statutory period of notice, or a common law period of notice, before their contract can be terminated. During that notice period the employee continues to be employed unless specific provisions are contained in the contract of employment allowing for payment in lieu of notice. Employees also have a right to be consulted concerning many issues affecting their employment. Employees have rights to substantial termination payments when their employment is terminated after 51 weeks of continuous employment (known as compensation for unfair dismissal) with damages payable of up to £66,000 in addition to their paid notice period and statutory basic award calculated on the basis of up to £450 for each completed year of service.

An employee receives salary less compulsory deductions of income tax and social security payments (called Employee National Insurance Contribution) and the employer pays 12.8% employers NIC (National Insurance Contribution) as a further social security payment. HM Revenue & Customs charges penalties and interest on non-payment of these taxes especially where a consultant is in effect an employee.

A ?consultant? who is actually an employee working in the UK will be employed automatically by the overseas company which will probably be operating an unregistered branch unless steps are taken to formalise the UK presence by registering a branch or subsidiary. The overseas company will be subject to UK corporate tax on its profits but will have no control over the amounts of tax payable (if any) unless it takes steps to do so. Compared to an employee, a contractor can be terminated by giving the agreed contractual period of notice and typically will work for one or many companies providing consultancy services, for which he may or may not charge VAT depending on his turnover. A genuine contractor does not create an unregistered branch of the overseas company and is not an employee - but genuine consultants are rare animals.

To emphasise the above - most contractors are actually employees and their use will eventually lead to wasted management time and professional fees in sorting out the unwanted contractual and taxation position which results.

2. ?We granted options to our UK employees from our main stock option plan.?

Compliance with securities legislation in the UK requires a UK sub plan be created excluding parts of the parent company?s main plan.

Under English tax rules, 12.8% employers NIC (the same social security charge as mentioned in 1 above) is payable by the employing entity on exercise by a UK employee on or around a liquidity event on the spread i.e. the difference between the option price and the exercise price.

A liquidity event is regarded as an IPO or a trade sale of the business. Because of these rules there have been some very substantial tax liabilities in the past for UK entities of overseas companies. This area of taxation is perhaps the most complicated part of English law for an inward investor, (other than compliance with English Financial Services Act rules by inbound banks and financial institutions). It is possible to move the liability to pay the 12.8% to the employee (and the employee receives tax relief on it) and for smaller entrepreneurial companies to provide an extremely tax efficient option called an EMI (Enterprise Management Incentive).

3. ?Our UK employee took a great risk in joining us and we have agreed his termination package in advance, so we are in great shape!?

Whilst it is an advantage to have an employment contract, some parts of English employment law apply irrespective of what is written down between the parties. In termination discussions it is not possible to finally agree a settlement with a departing employee without his solicitor (or certain other authorised persons) signing the settlement agreement (known as a compromise agreement) after the termination. An agreement to pay damages at the beginning or during employment acts as an additional payment to the employee but does not exclude his right to an unfair dismissal payment. Accordingly, legal advice is always recommended on special terms of employment like this and we recommend use of a standard form employment contract which has recently been updated to comply with the ever-changing landscape of English and EU employment law.

Additional Coments

Please note that legal advice really is needed when dealing with these three situations. It is not expensive when regard is taken of the consequences of not taking legal advice.

Care needs to be taken to record ownership of the UK employee?s designs, patents, copyrights and any other intellectual property or know-how created by the UK employee under English law principles (which are different from many other countries). these arrangements should ideally be reflected in an agreement between the English entity, the overseas company and the employee.

We find that in around 50% of start-ups of technology companies the initial employee is terminated within two years of the start-up. In many cases the employee is no longer needed because he ?has done his job in starting up the UK entity?. Terminating a UK employee?s employment will always be expensive but the legal and termination costs can be kept under control with sensible drafting of the employment contract and frequent reviews of the employee?s behaviour if the employee?s performance is declining.

If you are contemplating expanding your business into Europe the UK is often the first step. We would very much like to hear from you so that we can explain in more detail our experiences over the last 20 years as one of the leading law firms advising inward investors.

Setting up in the UK is relatively easy from the legal point of view but there are a few key areas which really do need to be covered and understood. Taylor Wessing provides start-up advice on fixed fees. All initial advice is free of charge.

If on reading this article you have any questions about setting up in the UK please do not hesitate to write to or email the author at:

For more information, contact:
David Kent
International Corporate Group
Taylor Wessing LLP
Office +44 207 300 7000
Mobile +44 7768 953 523
Email:
Technology Firm of the Year 2007/2008
European IP/Life Sciences Firm of the Year 2008