Craft 'has a presence in science'

The Crafts Council has highlighted the importance of craft in the scientific arena.

In response to business secretary Vince Cable's speech on the future of higher education and the appeal for a renewed focus on science, technology, engineering and maths subjects, the crafts council stressed the role that its subject plays in this field.

Currently, Central Saint Martins and the Medical Research Council are collaborating on the project Nobel Textiles, while printmaker Elaine Shemilt contributed to the discovery of unknown DNA patterns using her work for crop geneticists.

Mr Cable urged higher education institutions to work closer with schools 'to enlighten young people from disadvantaged backgrounds of the opportunities available to them and the means of seizing them'.

Earlier this year the Crafts Council launched Firing Up, a scheme which joins one institution with five schools and provides pupils with access to ceramics.

However, Mr Cable also stressed the importance of the arts and how they affect other industries.

Contributing GBP 3 billion to the UK economy, the craft industry has a role in design, advertising, film, cultural heritage, manufacturing and tourism, the council added.