Trevor Baylis, whose inventions include the clockwork radio and the electric shoe, called for more support for Britain's inventors and said: "We Brits are brilliant at inventing things but terrible when it comes to recognising and rewarding invention, and it is a national tragedy that so many of our great inventors through history ended up penniless. This club will be a safe haven for inventors to learn, share ideas and get business support without fear of being rolled out when the money starts rolling in."

"The University of East London, along with a handful of other universities including Oxford, Nottingham and Derby, is taking a strong lead in helping inventors make the most of their ideas. I hope the university will begin offering degrees in invention as part of its work-based learning programmes. Inventors need to learn about topics such as the history of invention, intellectual property law and business development as well as design and engineering."

Members of the new club will have access to business advice, training and development funding, as well as design and prototyping facilities at the Thames Gateway Technology Centre, based at UEL's Docklands Campus, and the School of Computing and Technology based in Barking. 'Virtual Companies' will be created to develop marketable inventions by bringing business people and manufacturers on board.

David Nicholas MBE, who has pioneered the Virtual Company scheme in his work as Innovation and Technology Counsellor for Business Link Wessex, said: "We have helped create 40 viable new businesses in just a few years, and more than a hundred virtual companies have won SMART awards worth £45,000 each. It isn't corporations that invent things, it is human beings, and our duty is to protect and nurture these people."

Bola Olabisi, organiser of the British Female Inventor of the Year Awards, chief executive of the Global Women Inventors and Innovators Network, and a UEL Law graduate said: "Women have invented many wonderful and useful things, such as the umbrella and the dishwasher. It is good to see so many female inventors here today, and I am confident the East London Inventors Club will be a great benefit for us all. We have to encourage creative people from all backgrounds to make the most of their talents."

Professor Michael Thorne, Vice-Chancellor of UEL said: "Making the most of invention is vital to help grow new businesses in this region. At this university we are passionate about ideas, and we want to provide local inventors with access to the technological and marketing expertise that will turn their ideas into products and businesses."

Garry Moore, managing director of Phoenix Product Development Ltd based at the Thames Gateway Technology Centre, is the inventor of an eco-efficient 'air-flush' toilet currently in development. He said: "Inventors need more than great ideas and designs - we have to be business-minded in order to profit from our creativity. Networking is very important. I have benefited greatly from my links developed through UEL believe that this group will help inventors in the area."

Paul Schafer, manager of Newham Community Recycling Network - also known as 'The Wombles' - and a local councillor, said: "This club could be very helpful for struggling inventors like me! I have lots of ideas for making new products using recycled materials but until now haven't had access to a forum to help develop my business skills and contacts. A local inventors club will be an ideal way to get this moving as well as benefiting the community"

Richard Wheeler, Director of the Thames Gateway Technology Centre at Docklands said: "East London is a real hotbed of creative talent. The Inventors Club will help people access the networks of knowledge, technology, market intelligence and capital to translate their fantastic ideas into fantastic products for the future."

East London and Essex have been home to many great inventors down the ages. John Logie Baird invented television in the 1920s from his workshop on the roof of Plessey's in Ilford. Lionel Lukin, inventor of both the lifeboat and the rain gauge was born in Little Dunmow, Essex. Guglielmo Marconi, inventor of radio communication, had his first factory in Chelmsford and the first public broadcast was made from the town.

The University of East London has a proud tradition of supporting invention and enterprise. UEL's partnership with Ford dates back to the founding of South East Essex Technical College in the 1930s. In 2002, the government announced a New Technology Institute for the London Thames Gateway region, with UEL as lead partner, alongside Greenwich University, Lewisham College and Newham College of FE. UEL is also a partner with Ford, Barking College and the London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham and Havering in the Centre of Excellence for Manufacturing Engineering.

In recent years, students on engineering and industrial design programmes at UEL have won many awards, including the 2001 Medal for Excellence in Engineering won by Michael McLoughlin, Young Woman Engineer of the Year 2002 won by Stratford-born Helena Hutt. In 2002, 18-year old Sharon Anderson was the youngest ever prize-winner in the British Lighting Association Design Awards. UEL was the only university to be invited to exhibit in INNOVATE 2001, organised by BBC Tomorrow's World.

Researchers at the School of Computing of Technology at UEL are currently working on projects including: piloting new techniques to manufacture concrete from waste, a computer-controlled artificial wrist joint, a global positioning system for the mining and excavation industry and the Reaction Sphere, a new guidance system for rockets used by the European Space Agency.

Alan Wilcher, Acting Chairman of the Institute of Patentees and Inventors and chairman of judges at The British Invention Show said: "It is doubly good news for inventors that the University of East London has responded so positively to the needs of inventors. All inventors need support with research, development and education. This initiative can only widen the opportunities for, and improve the chances of, success for our wonderfully exciting, rule-breaking, occasionally exasperating but brilliant inventors!"

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For details and pictures contact Patrick Wilson: 020 8223 2061 or 07951 797 975