By 1974 there were not only significant groups in the areas of opto-electronics, lasers and microelectronics, but also in various aspects of medical electronics, microwaves, pattern recognition and computer architecture, too. Because of our expertise, we were formally linked with several defence establishments along the South Coast, especially the Admiralty Surface Weapons establishment on Portsdown Hill from which we had a number of research contracts.

We did not do “classified” work though some members of staff had been cleared to high security levels. With such work one had to be scrupulously careful and I suppose it was some sort of criterion of success that we actually had a member of the KGB “planted” in one of our research groups, where he remained until he was discovered by the security people and removed from the country.

Over the period we also developed many active, less hazardous, links with other European Institutions, especially in France, including two Grandes Ecoles. We also had working links with Bucharest, Cairo, Japan and the Netherlands.

By 1974 we received more than two thirds of our income from outside sources, whilst per capita support from the University Grants Committee was declining in universities everywhere. Much of our research was thus paid for by grants from the Science Research Council, which were mostly of a short-term nature and not conducive to long term planning – but I shall return to this subject later. For the moment I shall confine my remarks to an outline of some of the more significant research that we undertook.