Research Instruments apparatus used for cloning Dolly the Sheep. Displayed on Antiques Road Show TV programme.
MICHAEL LEE, BORN 1932
manufacturER OF RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS
Michael Lee, with his good friend Vince Grispo, set up in the 1960s a company (Research Instruments Limited) for manufacturing a new type of micromanipulator. This insrument reduces hand movement to facilitate carrying out fine work under a microscope. His first tiny workshop was in the attic of the west Londo maisonette in which Michael and his wife Ann lived. His friend Malcolm won £400 in Criss-Cross Quiz on Granada TV, and kindly lent Michael £100 to enable him to expand the business. He did his by building a small shed at the bottom of his garden. It had good sound insulation to avoide machine noise disturbing the neighbours. The business grew over the years and in 1970 moved to Cornwall - taking advantage of substantial government incentives for moves to Development Regions. Lee retired from the business in 2000, handing its management over to a new generation of directors. His life story is told through a preface and the history he wrote of Research Instruments Limited.
Click below to view his life story:
This history of Research Instruments Limited by Michael Lee was reproduced in 2024 with his kind permission.