ERA Foundation Ltd is the current name of the research association founded as the British Electrical and Allied Industries Research Association in 1920. By 1925, the association was commonly referred to as the Electrical Research Association (ERA). It was funded jointly by the Department of Scientific & Industrial Research, industry and member companies. Prior to ERA, there had been no real facility for co-operative electrical research in the UK, although some research was carried out by a few manufacturers, suppliers and larger users of electricity. ERA filled the recognised gap in the organisation of the industry, by supplying research and technology innovation. ERA opened an auxiliary laboratory in Perivale in 1936. During the 1939-1945 war, direct assistance to the war effort was given by ERA, having been recognised by the Ministry of Labour in 1941 as an 'essential undertaking'. Activities during the war included working on the development of radar and mine detection equipment. Major new laboratories and offices were opened in Leatherhead, Surrey in 1957 which were the headquarters of the organisation until around 2014, when the organisation moved to Worthing, Surrey. Until the late 1960s, ERA had derived much of its income from member company subscriptions and UK government grants. After 1969 ERA began reorganising its mode of operation to reflect the rapidly changing technology base within the industries it served. This enabled the company to derive income from single client and multi-client projects. ERA became the first 'privatised' research association and was known as The Electrical Research Association Ltd. In September 1979 ERA formally changed its name from The Electrical Research Association Ltd to ERA Technology Ltd. During the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s ERA continued to grow and develop into new research areas, including RF technology and electronic systems. It also expanded into providing a wide range of engineering consultancy services for mechanical as well as electronic and electrical systems. In doing so it established itself as one of Britain's leading independent consulting organisations at the leading edge of technology development. In January 2001, the entire organisation was transferred to a new trading company, limited by shares. The original company, still limited by guarantee, was renamed The ERA Foundation Ltd. The trading operation, retaining the name ERA Technology, was run as a wholly commercial enterprise, responsible to its shareholders. In September 2003 the company announced it would sell the entire share capital of ERA Technology to Cobham PLC. The proceeds of this sale and sale of a linked property company formed the basis for work of the ERA Foundation in the field of electrotechnology. Companies House: Registration No.00170454.

Initially known as The Research Institute in Dairying, the Board of Agriculture established this centre for agricultural science and engineering in 1912. The Institute formed part of University College, Reading (later the University of Reading). In 1920 the Institute acquired Shinfield Manor, which became an experimental farm. The following year the Institute changed its name to the National Institute for Research in Dairying, often known by its acronmyn NIRD. NIRD carried out basic and applied research into milk production and dairy products, including work on nutrition, animal husbandry, chemisty, physiology, biochemisty and bacteriology. It also aimed to improve methods in the dairying industry, partly by experimenting with equipment such as heat pumps. At its height, the Institute had a staff of around four hundred and fifty people. Whilst NIRD formed part of the University of Reading, it was financed largely by the Agricultural and Food Research Council. NIRD was replaced by the Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, and the Food Research Institute, Reading, in 1985.

Adam Cromarty worked as an electrical engineer at the ERA Foundation Ltd (also known as the British Electrical and Allied Industries Research Association). Cromarty specialised in rural electrification, and was based at Shinfield, Reading. Following his work at the ERA, he worked for the University of Reading. His research led to the invention of a dairy heat pump, or Dairy Exchanger Unit, used to turn the waste heat from cooling down milk into hot water for use in dairies. His scientific papers were published under the name A.S. Cromarty.

The 1920s were a difficult period for milk producers, with production exceeding demand, falling prices and farmers forced to sell up. In response the UK government passed the Agricultural Marketing Act in 1931 and created the Milk Marketing Board on the recommendation of the Reorganisation Commission for Milk in October 1933. The mission of the Board was to ensure that farmers were able to sell all the milk produced by their herds for the best possible price. The Board created a register of producers and prohibited unregistered producers from selling milk. It had the power to police the marketing of milk, to buy and sell milk, dairy products and related equipment. The Board was also responsible for encouraging research and education. It set out contracts for the sale of milk and accepted milk that hadn’t sold. The Board consisted mainly of members elected by registered producers representing different regions of England and Wales. They set the strategic course for the organisation, and were responsible for creating policies. The Board members were supported by a central, Executive Committee and regional committees. A team of directors under a general manager were responsible for enacting decisions. The Board was largely funded by a levy paid by producers. From 1939 the Head Office was located in Thames Ditton, Surrey, whilst each main division had regional operating organisational structures. The Milk Marketing Board grew to have 7000 employees. Amended by various governments, the Milk Marketing Board members decided that the organisation should become a voluntary cooperative in 1994, adopted the name Milk Marque. The former processing division was renamed ‘Dairy Crest’ and was acquired by the Canadian business Saputo Inc.

The Patent Office is responsible for the registration of designs and trade marks and was formerly known as the Patents, Designs and Trade Marks Office. The Intellectual Property Office became an operating name of the Patent Office on 2 April 2007.

The University of Reading’s School of Agriculture, Policy and Development dates back to 1892, when the University was established as University College Reading, an offshoot of the University of Oxford. In 1912 the Research Institute in Dairying (later known as NIRD) was established and became part of the then Faculty of Agriculture and Horticulture. In 2023 the School was promoting the expertise of its staff in “agriculture, animal science, international development, environmental management, food marketing and consumer behaviour.” The School was then responsible for teaching 800 students each year and was divided into five departments: Agri-Food Economics and Marketing, Animal Sciences, Crop Science, International Development and Sustainable Land Management. The department manages approximately 800 hectares of farming land and woodlands as a research and teaching resource.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries’ predecessor as a UK government department was the Board of Agriculture, created by an act of parliament in 1889. It later became known as the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, and was responsible for these areas before the creation of the Ministry of Agriculture in 1919. The department assumed all government responsibilities for agricultural matters. Initially small, the Ministry had oversight of pest control and diseases, livestock improvement, agricultural research and the provision of small-holdings and allotments. The interwar period saw the Ministry move into agricultural subsidies and financial support for farmers. There were moves towards standardisation in agricultural products and packaging and the creation of marketing boards for certain products. With the outbreak of the Second World War further powers were granted over land management to encourage food production. The department merged with the wartime era Ministry of Food in 1955 to become the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The functions of the Ministry would, in 2002, ultimately become absorbed into the new Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (known as DEFRA) when the Ministry was abolished.