OXFORDSHIRE has long been the home to hugely successful hi-tech companies.

Many of them spin out of the county’s two universities and go on to become highly successful commercial ventures.

You do not have to look any further than Oxford Instruments, the first spin-out from Oxford University, which has thrived in recent years and currently employs more than 650 workers worldwide.

Today we highlight the kind of thinking that could go on to make a real difference to life in the future.

Scientists at Oxford-based Assisted Vision have developed glasses which will help the blind detect and avoid obstacles successfully using technology derived from mobile telephones.

And at Harwell, a device originally developed to take measurements of water vapour on Mars is being developed to help analyse food crops or detect levels of volcanic ash. These businesses are very much the future and are set for take-off but it is not just the start-ups that are performing well in the county.

A new report by national business advice service GrowthAccelerator shows that while two thirds of high-growth firms are under five years old, 22 per cent are more than 10 years old. That shows that not only can entrepreneurs in the county start businesses successfully, they are able to push them through the all-important early years and continue to innovate and grow as they go along.

And all this is happening in the wake of one of the biggest economic downturns in history. Evidence is now showing the long road to recovery may be beginning. And Oxfordshire is leading the way.