For Immediate Release

04 March 2013

Cambridge, UK -  Following two years of searching for an appropriate property, the Centre for Computing History has finally found a Cambridge home. This means the city where so many ground breaking technological discoveries and inventions have been made will at last have a dedicated computer museum. Located just off Coldhams Lane, the 10, 500 sq ft. building will provide storage as well as display areas. Although there is still a considerable amount of fundraising needed and lot of hard work ahead to transform the exhibition space, the lease has been signed and the team behind the initiative is delighted. On Thursday 28 February the Centre’s patron Dr Hermann Hauser took formal possession of the keys to the building.

This occasion also marked the launch of a new fund raising campaign to raise the £128,000 needed to bring the building up to sufficient standard to open its doors to the public. It’s hoped that this can be achieved by the end of July 2013, in time for the school holiday period.

The centre’s move to Cambridge will facilitate the next stage of the project. This will involve the development of both a highly ambitious outreach programme for schools and a multi-dimensional ‘computing experience’ exhibition, prior to the eventual creation of a permanent, purpose built home in the city.

Dr Hauser said: “We all recognise that computers have transformed the world we live in. To enable coming generations to understand how it has all happened there has never been a more appropriate moment for a museum of this nature here in Cambridge The city is at the heart of the UK's, if not Europe's, leading technology cluster. As such it has played – and continues to play - a vital role in the history of computing. It is only fitting that the Centre for Computing History should be based here.”

Jason Fitzpatrick said: “The story of the Information Age and of all the engineers, innovators, inventors and creative visionaries who made it happen is inspirational. Moving to Cambridge, the city where so much of this story has unfolded, will allow all our dreams and ambitions for the Centre to be realised.

“In addition to celebrating Britain’s outstanding track record in computing innovation, the centre will showcase computing technology and enterprise in the Cambridge region. It will explore the radical and far-reaching impact of technological discovery and invention to spring from Cambridge University and local companies. We hope to create an experience where young people can truly engage with technology and act as a catalyst for emerging talent .”

The campaign to relocate the museum from its temporary home in Suffolk to Cambridge has already attracted substantial sponsorship from a number of individuals and several high profile Cambridge tech businesses, including super-chip designer ARM Holdings, Microsoft Research and award winning Red Gate Software.

Bruno Janson from ARM Holdings said: “Given our Cambridge background, at ARM we are fully supportive of the foundation of this computer museum in the city.”

-Ends-

Photo 1: Centre Director - Jason Fitzpatrick,  Patron – Dr Hermann Hauser, Representative of Corporate Sponsor ARM Holdings – Bruno Janson, Engineering Operations Manager, Arm Holdings – moving in large IBM Computer to new building!

Photo 2 : Centre Trustee –  Elaine Collins, Centre Director - Jason Fitzpatrick,  Patron – Dr Hermann Hauser, Representative of Corporate Sponsor ARM Holdings – Bruno Janson, Engineering Operations Manager, Arm Holdings

Notes for Editors

Centre for Computing History

Established in 2006 to create a permanent, public exhibition that tells the story of the Information Age, the centre regularly exhibits at venues around the country and works regularly with the BBC, Open University and the Gadget Show Live amongst others. Aimed at everyone from children to academics, an inventive multimedia approach allows visitors to interact with many key machines, thereby providing a hugely entertaining experience. With over 20,000 items and a website that currently attracts 20,000 visitors a month the centre enjoys a robust reputation as an international educational resource.

Computers have revolutionised the way we live and work. They have touched practically every aspect of our lives – including medicine – and changed things for ever. Rapid global communications now shape modern culture and society.  However, the fast-paced nature of the computing industry along with our tendency to discard irrelevant technology as it becomes outdated creates the risk that a sense of its origins will be lost. The centre’s aim is to preserve this fundamental part of our history - as it continues to happen - and keep it alive.

The Centre is constantly undertaking outreach work, enthusing young people about technology and taking the older generation on nostalgic retro-laden journeys with the use of working PCs and consoles such as the ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro and Atari, many of which have been reconditioned to run the games that defined the childhood of so many.

Centre for Computing History is recognised as a charitable trust No: 1130071. It is currently working towards accredited museum status. Cambridge based entrepreneur and co-founder of Acorn Computers, Dr Hermann Hauser is the museum’s patron.

Cambridge is the natural home for The Centre for Computing History in the UK.

The Cambridge Heritage: A Snapshot

1812: Charles Babbage - originated the concept of a programmable computer with his first ideas for a calculating machine.

1897: J J Thomson - discovered the electron in 1897 at the University's Cavendish Laboratory setting the foundation for modern physics, electronics and computer technology.

1934: Alan Turing - graduated from King's College, Cambridge. Turing was a founder of computer science and cryptographer, whose work at Bletchley Park was key to breaking the wartime Enigma codes.

1949: Maurice Wilkes - developed the EDSAC, the first stored program digital computer. This and the EDSAC2 underpinned computer research and are central to computer science.

1978: Roger Needham - awarded a BCS Technical Award for the CAP (Capability Protection) Project.

1980: Andy Hopper - working with Maurice Wilkes developed the Cambridge Fast Ring, a pioneering computer network that would later form the basis of broadband Internet

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The Cambridge Legacy: Home Computing

Two seminal Cambridge companies were Acorn Computers and Sinclair Computers. Sir Clive Sinclair brought computers to the masses with his affordable ZX80, ZX81 and Spectrum computers. Acorn, founded by Chris       Curry and Hermann Hauser, developed the ‘dream machine’, adopted by schools up and down the country: the much loved BBC Micro. Acorn has long gone but its legacy, the ARM processor, dominates the mobile computing market with processors in over 95% of today’s mobile phones.

The Cambridge Phenomenon: Silicon Fen

The region continues to embrace a large cluster of high-technology companies (computing, biotechnology, electronics and software) many of which have direct and indirect links with the University of Cambridge. An area of intense innovation activity, it is considered one of the most important technology centres in Europe.

Dr Hermann Hauser CBE

Serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Amadeus Capital Partners, Dr Hermann Hauser CBE has wide experience in developing and financing companies in the information technology sector. He co-founded the Acorn Computer Group plc. and subsequently became vice president of research at Olivetti. During his tenure at Olivetti, he established a global network of research laboratories. Since leaving Olivetti, Hermann has founded over 20 technology companies. In 1997, he co-founded Amadeus Capital Partners, a VC which invests in technology companies including communications and networking hardware and software, media, ecommerce, as well as biotech and cleantech. Hermann holds an MA in Physics from Vienna University and a PhD in Physics from the Cavendish Laboratory at King's College, Cambridge. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and of the Royal Academy of Engineering and an Honorary Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. In 2001 he was awarded an Honorary CBE for ‘innovative service' to the UK enterprise sector’. In 2004 he was made a member of the Government’s Council for Science and Technology and in 2009 took over the Chair of the East of England Stem Cell Network (EESCN) and became a member of the Government advisory panel for New Industry/New Jobs. In 2011 Hermann became patron of the Centre for Computing History.

Media Enquiries

Elaine Collins

Gold PR

T: 01787 463256

M: 07733179293

E: Elaine@goldpr.co.uk

E. press@computinghistory.org.uk

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-- Kind Regards Jason FitzpatrickPure Energy