INNOVATION is just not good enough in Kent.

That was the bleak message from Hans Christian Iversen, outgoing chairman of the judges of the Kent Innovation Challenge.

After presenting the £25,000 top prize to Ancon Technologies, based in Canterbury, Mr Iversen spoke about the state of innovation in the county.

He said: "Our experience with the Kent Innovation Challenge is that innovation does have major challenges in Kent.

"We need to encourage more, particularly younger people, to become more independent and think of setting up their own businesses.

"We all have to learn to become less of a wage earner culture and more of an innovative and enterprise culture. That has to start from the creche."

He added: "Innovation in Kent, considering the size of the population and its location, is just not strong enough."

Mr Iversen blamed a number of factors, including the "social texture and demographics" of the county. Owners of typical small and medium-sized businesses were not very innovative.

And there were other things. "The general tradition of land, orchards, gentry, small business do not necessarily encourage a lot of innovation."

Going to a good school, then university and starting as an accountant on £50,000 a year did not encourage innovation, Mr Iversen said.

"With the location we have, we will inevitably be squeezed between the Oxfords and Cambridges of this world and London."