The Board of Invention and Research (BIR) was a British expert-level committee, initiated by the Admiralty of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. Established in 1915, the board was responsible for soliciting expert scientific assistance to solve tactical and technical problems. It was a sister organisation to the

Munitions Inventions Department The Munitions Inventions Department (MID) of the British Ministry of Munitions was created during the First World War in 1915. Its administrative structure encompassed university and industrial laboratories, private workshops, and military experim ...

which had been set up in April 1915 and the Air Inventions Committee (AIC), once it became become fully operational in the summer of 1917.

History

The Board first met on 19 July 1915 at the Whitehall Rooms in the Metropole Hotel, and remained based at the Metropole until the board and its scientific facilities were moved to permanent headquarters at Victory House on Cockspur Street. Chaired by Sir Jackie Fisher, former

First Sea Lord First Sea Lord, officially known as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1SL/CNS), is the title of a statutory position in the British Armed Forces, held by an Admiral (Royal Navy), admiral or a General (United Kingdom), general of the ...

, the BIR recruited of a number of scientists working in six science and technology divisions, which assessed and evaluated invention proposals from the public, with a view to applying them to naval technology and tactics.Research and development in the Royal Navy
The National Archives. During its operation from 1915 to 1918, the board evaluated over 41,000 submissions. In 1918, the BIR was superseded by the Scientific Research and Experiment Department, which operated until 1946 and was then re-organised into the Royal Naval Scientific Service.

Timeline

Board of Admiralty The Board of Admiralty (1628–1964) was established in 1628 when Charles I put the office of Lord High Admiral into commission. As that position was not always occupied, the purpose was to enable management of the day-to-day operational requi ...

, Board of Invention and Research, 1915-1918 * Board of Admiralty, Scientific Research and Experiment Department, 1918-1946 * Board of Admiralty, Royal Naval Scientific Service, 1946-1964 *

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

, Department of the Chief Scientist (Navy), 1964-1984

References

External links

{{Admiralty Department, state=collapsed 1915 establishments in the United Kingdom 1918 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Military research establishments of the United Kingdom United Kingdom in World War I Royal Navy Admiralty during World War I