Presentation of Award

22nd April 2003

 Oxford Instruments Scoops Two Prestigious Queen's Awards for Enterprise 2003: 
                      Innovation and International Trade                       

Oxford Instruments plc (LSE: OXIG), the advanced instrumentation company, is
pleased to announce that it has received two prestigious Queen's Awards for
Enterprise. The awards represent the highest honour that can be bestowed upon a
UK company.

Announced yesterday, on Her Majesty The Queen's official birthday, The Queen's
Award for Enterprise: Innovation was awarded to Oxford Instruments
Superconductivity in recognition of the technology and innovation behind the
largest commercial superconducting magnet in the world. This pioneering
technology is fundamental to the company's `Discovery' 900MHz NMR (nuclear
magnetic resonance) superconducting magnets. NMR is a valuable tool for the
examination of molecules, such as proteins and DNA, and is particularly
important in the investigation of biological mechanisms. This new technology
will provide scientists with greater ability to analyse larger biological
molecules than previously possible and is key to understanding diseases and the
subsequent development of new pharmaceuticals.

In addition, the Queen's Award for Enterprise: International Trade was
presented to Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology for the second time in three
years. This award recognises the company's outstanding achievement and success
over a five-year period in overseas trade in the international semiconductor
and telecommunications industries. Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology
provides specialist technology in 26 countries for the development and
manufacture of semiconductor devices.

Andrew Mackintosh, Chief Executive of Oxford Instruments plc, said "It is a
wonderful achievement to receive these two prestigious Queen's Awards, and is a
reflection of the innovation, commitment and hard work of our workforce.
Recognition such as this serves to reinforce our position as a leading
innovator in advanced instrumentation in many research and applied fields.
Furthermore, it demonstrates our ability to commercialise our advanced
technologies on an international scale. I would like to thank all the employees
at Oxford Instruments, who will be proud to be awarded such an accolade for
their endeavours."

A photograph of the NMR superconducting magnet is available by contacting Sarah
Perceval, [e-mail].

For more information on Oxford Instruments, please go to 
www.oxford-instruments.com.

Contacts:

Andrew Mackintosh, Oxford Instruments plc
01865 881437

Sarah Perceval, HCC De Facto
0207 496 3300

Notes to editors:

Oxford Instruments plc

Oxford Instruments is a global leader in advanced instrumentation. It is a
recognised world leader in several technologies, including the application of
superconductivity, the creation of low temperatures, the production and
detection of X-rays and in neurological measurements. The company's products
are used around the world in healthcare, semiconductor processing, scientific
research, industrial chemical analysis and quality control. Its customers
include most of the world's major international companies as well as the
leading hospitals and research institutes.

Born out of Oxford University, with over 40 years of continuous product
development, Oxford Instruments comprises three businesses, Medical, Analytical
and Superconductivity.

Oxford Instruments Superconductivity Ltd

Internationally recognised as world leaders in superconductivity and ultralow
temperature cryogenic environments, Oxford Instruments is driving innovation in
these fields. The Company's leading-edge technologies support research in
nanotechnology, solid state and condensed matter physics. These superconducting
magnet and cryogenic technologies also drive analytical instrumentation such as
NMR and FTMS that are vital tools for drug discovery and life science
applications.

Combining outstanding technical expertise, original thinking and a commitment
to meeting customers needs, Oxford Instruments Superconductivity enables real
advances both in research and commercial applications by providing the high
quality technological environments needed to meet demanding experimental
requirements.

Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology

Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology, a key part of the Analytical business and
was established in 1981. The company is a leading supplier of Plasma and Ion
beam processing equipment to the Photonics, MEMS and semiconductor industries.
The Company maintains close collaborative links with both academia and industry
and is continually developing processes for new and emerging materials.
Products range from small stand-alone systems aimed at the R&D market to fully
clustered cassette-to-cassette platforms for high throughput production
processing.

Oxford Instruments plc
Old Station Way, Eynsham
Witney, Oxon, OX29 4TL, UK
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
www.oxford-instruments.com