Department of Scientific and Industrial Research - United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The British DSIR was the first. At the outbreak of World War I, "Britain found ... it was dangerously dependent on enemy industries". At the request of the Board of Trade, the Board of Education prepared a White Paper under the chairmanship of Sir William McCormick. The DSIR was set up to fill the roles that the White Paper specified: "to finance worthy research proposals, to award research fellowships and studentships, and to encourage the development of research associations in private industry and research facilities in university science departments. rapidly assumed a key role in coordinating government aid to university research. It maintained these roles until 1965. The annual budget during its first year, 1915, was £1,000,000.

Research Laboratories that were administered by the DSIR priot to its disbandment in 1965 included:

• Building Research Station, Watford (from 1921) later renamed Building Research Establishment, and now simply BRE
• Fuel Research Station, Greenwich, moved 1959 to Stevenage and renamed Warren Spring Laboratory (WSL)
• National Physical Laboratory - Teddington (from circa 1917)
• Radio Research Station - Ditton Park (from 1924)
• Road Research Laboratory, Crowthorne (from 1933)
• National Engineering Laboratory - East Kilbride (later transferred to the DTI)