business Link Wessex's innovation and technology counsellor David Nicholas has been made an MBE for services to business.
He is renowned across the country for his work and achievements in encouraging British innovation.
His enthusiasm and faith in the potential of British inventors leads them to hail him as their "dream" - "an extraordinary man", "an essentially practical and no-nonsense connector".
He said: "Inventors can only succeed if they gain credibility through the involvement of people with specialist expertise.
"I developed The Virtual Company concept as a tool for lone inventors who want to turn their incredible ideas into credible business. It is not a complex process but, as all innovators will appreciate, sometimes the simplest of ideas are the most effective."
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