Tag: Department for Science Innovation and Technology

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 1 December 2023.

Porn industry to be scrutinised to assess the damage it causes individuals and society.

The porn industry will be scrutinised by a dedicated reviewer who has been appointed to assess the damage it causes individuals and society.

Baroness Bertin will look at abuse, exploitation and trafficking in the pornography industry, pornography’s impact on viewers, and ways to bolster law enforcement to help tackle illegal pornographic content will also be examined in the Pornography Review, as part of new objectives published today (Friday 1 December).

The review will build on the government’s work to take the long-term decisions for a better future for our children and grandchildren through the Online Safety Act, by stopping children from accessing pornography online by requiring services to establish the age of their users, including through age verification and age estimation tools.

It will review how viewing pornography impacts users of all ages, including emerging challenges from AI generated pornography. It will also review both the current rules placed upon the pornography industry and other services that host pornographic content, and whether law enforcers have the tools they need to identify and tackle illegal pornographic content.

The review will examine how we can help the police identify exploitation and abuse in the industry, as well as identifying what barriers there are to enforcing the law and punishing those committing offences.

In particular, the review has been tasked to consider the links between the pornography industry and the prevalence of human trafficking and exploitation and users’ attitudes towards women and girls. It will then recommend what can be done to tackle this, including improving reporting and identification.

The review will then recommend to government what more could be done to address these challenges and provide support and guidance to those who need it on the potentially harmful impacts of pornography.

To lead the review, Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan has today appointed Baroness Bertin, who has worked consistently to tackle violence against women and girls, now sitting as Vice Chair of the All-Parliamentary Party Group on Domestic Violence and Abuse.

The review will also draw on expertise from law enforcement, the criminal justice system, external experts and the pornography industry to look at the existing regulation and whether the existing criminal offences are adequately enforced online as they are offline.

Secretary of State for Innovation, Technology and Science, Michelle Donelan said:

We’re already making the UK the safest place to be online with our world-leading Online Safety Act and are building on that with an unrelenting focus on safety and education by launching the Pornography Review.

Baroness Bertin will bring valuable experience to the process, leading on investigating how exploitation and abuse is tackled in the industry, and to examine the potentially harmful impact of pornography.

Pornography Review lead reviewer, Baroness Bertin said:

I am delighted to have been asked to lead this review. The damaging impact that extreme pornography is having on society cannot be allowed to continue unchecked. We owe it to our children and indeed to the whole of society to put the guard rails back in place.

The past two decades have seen a dramatic change in the way we consume media and interact with content online. Pornography regulation now needs to reflect this change.  The ease with which people can access harmful and illegal pornography is having a devastating impact on many areas of our lives but It is particularly damaging and degrading to women and girls.  A key aspect of the review will be assessing the links between pornography, exploitation and a culture of violence towards women and girls.

I am determined that this review will ensure laws and regulations governing a dramatically changed pornography industry are once again fit for purpose.

Notes to editors

The objectives for the review as set out in the terms of reference are to:

1. Understand the prevalence and harmful impact of illegal pornography online, and the impact of other forms of legal pornography including emerging themes like AI-generated pornography, its impact on users, and on viewer’s attitudes to violence against women and girls.
2. Assess the public’s awareness and understanding of existing regulation and legislation of pornography.
3. Consider the current rules in place to regulate the pornography industry, comparing online and offline laws.
4. Determine if law enforcers and the justice system are responding to illegal pornography sufficiently, and if change is needed.
5. Find out how prevalent human trafficking and exploitation is in the industry, before recommending how to identify and tackle this.
6. Use this knowledge to set out what more can be done to provide those who need it with guidance on the potential harmful impact of pornography.

Read the Review’s Terms of Reference in full (PDF, 161KB).

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 30 November 2023.

New draft guidance will support businesses to upskill their workers with the tools they need for jobs alongside AI.

Businesses throughout the UK will be supported to unleash the enormous potential of AI across their workforce as the UK government publishes new guidance to make sure employees have the skills they need.

The guidance, published today (Thursday 30 November), is intended to help employers boost their employees’ understanding of AI so they can use it safely in their day-to-day role, by setting out the key knowledge, skills and behaviours they should have in order to reap the benefits of AI safely – including how to use artificial intelligence tools effectively such as Large Language Models and the safe and secure management of sensitive data.

Focused on five key areas, the guidance covers everything from using AI to evaluate the performance of projects through to how to build the skills and techniques needed to solve issues as people work with AI when they crop up. Employees will be helped by employers and training providers to develop a deeper understanding of how their organisation works with AI, how they can further incorporate its use, and in turn what tools they need to tackle a particular task. From admin to accounting and a range of other aspects in a worker’s day-to-day role, the guidance will support employees to propose solutions and build a strong knowledge base to go from strength to strength as they work increasingly with AI.

Given the growing use of AI in businesses across the country, this will serve as a vital tool for employers to ensure their workers can harness the huge potential of the technology to fuel both their own development and that of their organisation. By upskilling workers, businesses will also ramp up productivity and ensure their workforce can focus on the tasks which will make the biggest impact. Having a highly skilled workforce will allow businesses to go from strength to strength, fuelling their success and contributing to the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy.

Developed in partnership with the Innovate UK BridgeAI programme and The Alan Turing Institute the guidance marks a first step, with the UK government continuing to work closely with the business community and experts to further develop the guidance and draw concrete actions which can be implemented by businesses across the country – ahead of publishing a final version.

It comes as the Chancellor welcomed Microsoft’s £2.5 billion investment in UK AI over the next 3 years – expanding its next generation AI datacentre infrastructure, which is a vital investment to process, host and store the massive amounts of digital information needed to develop AI models. He will today (Thursday 30 November) visit one of Microsoft’s new ‘next generation datacentre facilities’ under construction in North London – which will create jobs and run fully on renewable energy – joined by Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith, and Microsoft UK CEO, Clare Barclay.

Minister for AI Viscount Camrose, said:

Making sure workers up and down the country have the skills they need for their jobs with and in AI is a key part of our strategy in making the UK an AI powerhouse and ensuring the skills of our workforce keep pace with this rapidly developing technology.

This guidance will be vital in helping us realise that ambition, continuing an important conversation with businesses across the UK to make sure the steps they can take are practical, functional, and successful.

Having a workforce which is equipped to work alongside AI will drive growth for businesses and allow us to realise the enormous opportunities AI presents in every sector of our economy.

Each of the five areas identified in the guidance are broken down further into corresponding knowledge and skillsets, such as knowledge of how AI can be used effectively; the ability to carry out a range of tasks; using appropriate behaviour when working with AI; and strong professional values to develop a sound judgement in situations where AI could be used.

Underpinning this new guidance is a breakdown of four distinct ‘personas’, which correspond to the level of AI expertise an individual may need. This will help users – individuals, employees, employers – to quickly identify their skills gaps, and training providers to develop relevant training schemes to address these.

AI Citizens are defined in the guidance as members of the public who could be customers or employees of an organisation making use of AI. AI Workers are employees whose day-to-day role sits outside of data and AI, but whose jobs are likely to be impacted by the technologies. AI Professionals are also identified as employees with specific responsibilities around data and AI, while AI Leaders are people in senior positions which help to oversee and introduce emerging technologies, such as individuals in board-level roles. These personas will help businesses improve their L&D offer for existing workers, and to identify key AI skills when recruiting.

Professor Will Drury, Executive Director – Digital and Technologies at Innovate UK said:

The adoption of AI is critical for our economy – it will help drive growth and competitiveness, unlocking the potential for greater productivity.

I welcome this framework and consultation focused on developing employees’ skills in AI; the recognition that AI is part of industry’s future and our workforce’s future is just the start of integrating AI into business at a grass-roots level.

Innovate UK’s BridgeAI programme concentrates on four key sectors – this piece of work will build on that by engaging with industry across the board.

Matt Forshaw, Senior Advisor for Skills at The Alan Turing Institute said:

Businesses are increasingly interested to learn how AI could enhance their productivity and competitiveness, but they also want to ensure they have the skills and competencies to adopt these technologies safely and ethically.

The new framework clarifies routes to workforce upskilling and will support businesses across the country to harness the value of AI. This project is underpinned by strong partnership working and we look forward to seeing the impact of this project on the current and future AI workforce.”

To ensure the guidance is useful for organisations across the UK economy, the government is now seeking views from across the UK’s expert community. Stakeholders have the opportunity to comment on the guidance through the Alan Turing Institute until January, who will then host a webinar and Q&A on 7 December. Building on this feedback, in the new year InnovateUK BridgeAI and the Alan Turing Institute will publish updated guidance, an accompanying skills framework and sector-specific case studies. These resources will help businesses understand their AI upskilling needs and training providers to develop training solutions which will enable businesses to unlock the value of AI.

The government has already invested £290 million in a broad package of AI skills and talent initiatives since 2018, giving people the tools they need to work effectively alongside AI. Last month, a wide-ranging skills package was also unveiled which encompasses postgraduate research centres and scholarships, putting the UK on a strong footing with a high-skilled workforce fit for the digital age.

The AI Skills for Business Competency Framework builds on already established models of professional standards and approaches, such as the government’s Essential Digital Skills Framework, and the Alliance for Data Science Professionals. Its publication today marks a new chapter in identifying the knowledge, skills, and personal qualities that workers across the country need to tap into in order to navigate the practical challenges which AI presents in the workplace.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 28 November 2023.

Company behind the successful life-sciences firm Moderna, Flagship Pioneering, has selected the UK for their first location outside of the US.

• Company behind the successful life-sciences firm Moderna, Flagship Pioneering, has selected the UK for their first location outside of the US
• Announcement opens up new opportunities for life science start-ups and investments in the UK, complementing UK government’s plan to drive innovation in science and tech and boost the UK’s investment ecosystem
• New Memorandum of Understanding between Flagship and the Government cements the UK’s commitment to the sector, setting out how both can work together on clinical trials, potential UK manufacturing locations, and more

Leading life sciences bioplatform company Flagship Pioneering has today (Tuesday 28 November) announced the UK as the home for its first base outside the US, paving the way for new scientific start-ups, discoveries and investments here in the UK.

Flagship takes a unique approach to investment – with its own scientists exploring ideas invented in its labs to improve human health and the most promising projects being grown into companies. Since launching in 2000, Flagship has founded more than 100 scientific ventures, worth more than $90 billion combined, among the most notable being Moderna, who developed a groundbreaking mRNA vaccine for Covid-19. To date the company has invested over $3.4 billion in the founding and growth of pioneering life science companies, unlocking a further $26 billion of investment from other sources.

Flagship Pioneering choosing the UK as its first European base is another vote of confidence for the UK’s £94 billion life sciences sector and is further evidence that the UK is one of the world’s leading destinations for investment, where 1 in 3 of all the biotech startups in Europe over the last decade have been founded in the UK. By basing themselves here, the UK will become Flagship’s latest destination for its next start-ups and ventures – leading to economic growth and new scientific discoveries that improve lives, as well as adding to the 280,000 highly skilled jobs the sector supports nationwide.

The government is cementing this commitment by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the company. This will see them work hand in hand with the life sciences community and key UK scientific resources and stakeholders to, for example, identify new opportunities for innovation and find potential locations in the UK to host manufacturing sites for Flagship’s life sciences companies.

The UK’s life sciences prowess has been on full display at this week’s Global Investment Summit, which has highlighted how – as home to some of the world’s best minds, most extraordinary innovators, and iconic companies – the UK is one of the most dynamic and ambitious destinations for investment, anywhere in the world. The Science and Tech Secretary used the Summit to announce plans to make key technologies being pioneered in the UK, such as drones, even more appealing to investors by revamping the regulatory environment, as well as new partners to Innovate UK’s £100 million Investor Partnerships programme.

Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan said:

“From Brunel’s engineering revolution in the 19th century through to breakthroughs in genetic medicine in the 21st, British ideas have changed the world because of a willingness to ask big questions and do things differently. But to be successful, our innovators and risk-takers need backing.

“Flagship Pioneering choosing the UK as their home in Europe is another vote of confidence in our mission to put real financial firepower behind the UK’s world-leading science. Backing the brightest ideas with serious capital will help deliver improved healthcare, new medical treatments, and high-skill jobs.”

Tom Kibasi, Senior Vice President and Head of Flagship’s UK office, said:

“We are hugely excited at the opportunity to combine the UK’s world-leading science with Flagship’s unparalleled expertise in conceiving, creating and growing new scientific ventures into globally successful companies.

“We’re looking forward to connecting more than 40 Flagship-founded companies into the UK’s thriving life sciences eco-system and fostering new partnerships and collaborations that get breakthrough treatments to patients sooner.”

The Memorandum of Understanding between Flagship and the government sets out five ways the two can work closely together to maximise the UK’s potential to turn bright new ideas into thriving life science businesses. This includes:

• Working together on UK-based clinical trials and clinical delivery
• Looking into potential locations in the UK to host manufacturing sites for Flagship’s life sciences companies
• Engaging with UK’s world leading genomics organisations, such as Genomics England, NIHR Bioresource and UKBiobank
• Flagship feeding into UK’s horizon scanning processes that aim to identify opportunities for innovation, earlier

Flagship demonstrated their commitment to the UK, earlier this month, with the $50 million launch of Quotient Therapeutics, their first ever company co-anchored in both the US and UK. The firm is pioneering somatic genomics, the study of genetic variation at the cellular level, to discover therapeutics informed by new links between genes and disease.

Minister for Science, Research and Innovation Andrew Griffith said:

“This Government is determined to unleash capital, to support the life science breakthroughs that will help us all live longer, healthier lives, as well as enabling this £94 billion industry to continue to boost the economy, and support high-skilled jobs across the UK.

“Our work with Flagship Pioneering will be critical to that mission, by ensuring world-class UK research is given the backing needed to build scalable industries, cementing the UK’s place as a science superpower.”

Lord Johnson, Minister for Investment at the Department for Business and Trade said:

“This is a strong public signal from Flagship of the exciting potential they see in UK life sciences, our health and research ecosystem, and of their ongoing confidence in the UK as an investment destination. Flagship’s extensive expertise can also help further develop our vibrant UK sector.

“The Department for Business and Trade will continue our transatlantic support for Flagship and their portfolio companies, from developing their first footholds to realising the full range of benefits this world class hub for life sciences can deliver.”

The UK is undeniably a life sciences powerhouse. It is home to 1 in 3 of all the biotech startups founded in Europe over the last decade, attracted more than a third of all venture capital finance raised by European life sciences companies in 2022, and boasts 4 of the world’s top 10 universities for life sciences and medicine. The government is backing this critical sector with £520 million for life sciences manufacturing, the £650 million ‘Life Sci for Growth’ package and £20 million to speed up the development of new dementia treatments coming as part of the government’s full response to the O’Shaughnessy Review of commercial clinical trials in the UK.

Unlocking greater private funding for UK R&D is one of the key objectives of The UK Science and Technology Framework.

To this end, in July DSIT launched the Research Ventures Catalyst to open up new funding pathways that will enable our brightest minds to take greater risks and pursue new means of working that might not be supported via traditional avenues.

There have been significant recent successes in attracting private investment into the UK life sciences sector, such as landmark partnerships with BioNTech on cancer treatment and with Moderna, which will see the building of a brand-new innovation and technology centre.

Besides attracting inward investment from private sources, government is also serious about committing its own cash towards boosting the sector. In the last few months alone we have announced a raft of measures backed by over £650 million to support investment, growth and innovation in UK life sciences, including £121 million to make rapid progress on the recommendations of the O’Shaughnessy Review into clinical trials, and we continue to invest heavily in R&D at record amounts. This government has committed to invest £20 billion in R&D in 2024-2025.

Flagship’s announcement today paves the way for this groundbreaking company to provide the same impact in growing the UK’s life sciences ecosystem as it has in Cambridge, Massachusetts, arguably the global centre for life sciences.

The UK government has just agreed a new Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth with the UK pharmaceutical industry. The landmark agreement will improve access to cutting-edge treatments for NHS patients, support financial sustainability of the health service and advance UK life sciences sector.

The new scheme will support significant industry investment in UK clinical trials, manufacturing and health technology assessments strengthens UK’s global competitiveness.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 28 November 2023.

Investment will facilitate unprecedented collaboration between academia, industry and policy-makers across Ireland and the UK over the next six years.

£60 million in joint funding has been announced today (Tuesday 28 November) to bring academics, industry and policymakers across the Irish government, UK government and Northern Ireland Executive closer together than ever before, to work together on food sustainability and tackling climate change.

The Co-Centres programme will see researchers from across Ireland and the UK work together, to bring the power of science and innovation to bear on work ranging from protecting precious supplies of clean water, to ensuring that we can feed a growing global population at the same time as reaching Net Zero goals.

The announcement was jointly made in Dublin by the Irish government’s Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, UK government Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Michelle Donelan, and Permanent Secretary at Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Katrina Godfrey.

UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan said:

“As I know from my own family links, the UK and Ireland share deep ties – and in today’s fast-moving world, we share many of the same challenges, too. From our groundbreaking international work on AI, to our deal to join Horizon, the UK is determined to seize the opportunities for growth and prosperity that can be delivered, when we work together on science and tech with our neighbours.

“By bringing together the genius that exists across our islands, we will unlock the new ideas and inventions that will help us secure our food chains and tackle climate change, delivering innovative solutions for global good.”

Minister Harris said:

“Addressing climate change and achieving sustainable and resilient food systems are intertwined challenges facing us all.

“This investment in two new collaborative research centres is a major development in addressing these pressing issues in a coordinated and concerted way.

“I’m delighted to see the very best minds and methods being brought together to create a dynamic research network across Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain.”

Katrina Godfrey said:

“The Co-Centres programme is an excellent example of government funders working in partnership to support researchers and industry who will undertake cutting-edge research in areas of mutual economic, societal, health and environmental importance.

“I am particularly pleased that researchers in Northern Ireland will be integral to the establishment of these Co-centres.”

The Co-Centres programme is funded over six years, with up to €40 million from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), up to £17 million from Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and up to £12 million through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and is co-funded by industry.

The two new Co-Centres will formally commence activities on 1st January 2024, and will be funded to 2030.

Overview of Co-Centres

Co-Centre for Climate + Biodiversity and Water

• Vision: To be a home of research, innovation, and policy development across the interlinked challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and water degradation. This will be achieved through research to enable fair transformations to Net Zero, reverse biodiversity loss, restore water quality and ensure resilience for communities and a sustainable economy.
• Number of research performing organisations: 14
• Number of researchers: 64
• Leadership Team: Prof. Yvonne Buckley, Trinity College Dublin, Prof. Mark Emmerson, Queens University Belfast; Prof. Edward Hawkins, University of Reading

Co-Centre for Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems

• Vision: To develop innovative and transformative solutions to transition the food system for positive and sustainable change in the transition to climate-neutrality by 2050. In order to address specific challenges centred around food system integrity and resilience, food safety and healthy diets from sustainable sources, the Co-Centre proposes to undertake a research programme across 4 platforms – Sustainable Food, Food Safety and Integrity, Nutrition and Health, and Food Systems Data Modelling. End-to-end solutions from soil-to-society will be developed and showcased.
• Number of research performing organisations: 15
• Number of funded researchers: 68
• Leadership team: Prof. Eileen Gibney, University College Dublin; Prof. Aedin Cassidy, Queen’s University Belfast; Prof. Louise Dye, University of Sheffield

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 27 November 2023.

Plans to revamp the regulatory environment around key technologies have been announced by Science and Tech Secretary, at the Global Investment Summit.

New plans for the safe, proportionate regulation of high-potential technologies like clean aviation, and drones, as well as a boost to the government’s investor partnership programme for high potential UK science and tech businesses, have been announced at the Global Investment Summit today (Monday 27 November) by the Science and Technology Secretary.

Following on from the announcement of new regulatory sandboxes at the Autumn Statement, three further sandboxes and testbeds will help UK firms and researchers developing hydrogen as a zero emission fuel for aviation, as well as exploring the use of drones in passenger transport and deliveries, plus putting self-piloting marine tech to work. The sandboxes and testbeds will see innovators and regulators work together to safely test new technologies. Taking this flexible, pragmatic approach to regulation can help to reduce barriers for innovators and help regulators to improve their decision-making processes.

The government’s ambition to unlock greater investment in UK R&D is taking a further step forward, with the naming of 29 new partners to the Investor Partnerships programme. Previous investor partnership programmes unlocked more than £370 million in private partner backing. Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), through Innovate UK, is investing over £110 million together with private investors to drive vital cash into scaling-up UK businesses that are putting game changing technologies into action to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges, from climate change to healthcare.

Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan said:

“From the steam engine and Jenner’s first vaccine, through to modern computers and the wonder-material graphene, brilliant British ideas have and continue to change the world. The untold story behind each of these breakthroughs is that of the investors, whose backing enabled genius ideas to spring to life out of the lab, and into the world.

“We know that unlocking investment is critical, if we are to seize the potential for science and tech breakthroughs to create new jobs and industries, grow the economy, and tackle problems from health to energy. That is precisely why we are deepening our links with private investors to help UK businesses scale-up, deepening the UK’s skills base, and working with the sector to build proportionate regulations that encourage innovation, and keep people safe.”

Game-changing new technologies and scientific innovations are front and centre at the Global Investment Summit, which is showcasing the pioneering companies across the country that make the UK one of the world’s most attractive investment destinations. They range from established global giants with significant presences in the UK, like Alphabet and Arm, to exciting newer businesses like Oxford Quantum Circuits and Birmingham University spin-out, Delta-G.

The expansion of the Innovate UK Investor Partnership Programme, working with investors such as Amadeus Capital and Anglo-American, is the government’s latest push to bring innovative small and medium-sized UK companies together with investors, to support them to take their businesses to the next level. The 15 investor partnership programmes that ran between 2017 and 2022 unlocked £42.8 million in grant funding for UK SMEs, £123 million in aligned equity investment, and a further £373 million in additional investment from private partners.

The government is deploying regulatory sandboxes as part of its commitment to seize the potential for frontier technologies like AI to create entirely new industries and jobs. It is essential to strike the right balance: regulation that is pro-innovation, stimulates demand for science and technology and attracts investment, while representing UK values and safeguarding citizens.

It follows the announcement of the Automated Vehicles Bill in the King’s Speech this month, to put safety at the heart of the roll-out of self-driving vehicle technology – ensuring smarter regulation and positioning the UK as world-leaders of a £42 billion industry.

Notes to editors

Details of the three regulatory sandboxes being funded through the Regulators’ Pioneer Fund (RPF), which supports UK regulators and local authorities to adopt new and experimental regulatory approaches that seek to remove barriers to innovation and help businesses get their innovative products and services to market. For more information contact regulators.pioneerfund@dsit.gov.uk

Civil Aviation Authority – hydrogen (sandbox)

The UK Civil Aviation Authority has launched a challenge, including a sandbox, to understand the regulatory requirements for the introduction of hydrogen as a zero-carbon aviation fuel. This aligns with the government’s Jet Zero Strategy of delivering net zero UK aviation by 2050.

The CAA will engage internationally to share outcomes of the challenge. Through direct engagement with other regulators, the World Economic Forum and the Commonwealth, we will be able to influence global approaches to hydrogen developments.

The launch of the challenge was announced in November with the regulatory sandbox open as of today, to take part in this sandbox challenge and help improve understanding of hydrogen-related risks in aviation.

Plymouth City Council – autonomous marine technology (testbed)

Plymouth City Council’s project is developing an evidence base and a regulatory framework for testing autonomous and prototype vessels for R&D. This includes establishing economic benefits of new regulations, engaging with port authorities and regulators internationally to examine how their regulations work and road-testing proposed new regulations on real vessels.

The project will be led by Plymouth City Council (PCC), in partnership with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), University of Plymouth (UoP), University of Exeter (UoE) and Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML).

The University of Exeter are interested in inviting businesses to take part in their user group in ventures of testing and demonstration taking place next year and the University of Plymouth are keen to invite businesses to visit and take part in the demonstration of autonomous marine technology.

Milton Keynes City Council – drones (testbed)

Milton Keynes City Council will work with Cranfield University’s Drone Innovation Hub and Satellite Applications Catapult Westcott DronePort to prove, trial, test and demonstrate new drone-based services that operate alongside our robotics delivery services and self-driving passenger shuttles. This includes a testbed that allows for ongoing experimentation.

This project will help inform Milton Keynes on how to deploy services in the city and has led to the trialling of self-driving bus, announced this month, as part of a Europe-wide research project.

The 29 new investors joining the Innovate UK Investor Partnership Programme are:

• Oxford Technology Management Ltd
• Maven Capital Partners UK LLP
• Angels@Essex
• Baltic Ventures Ltd
• Green Angel Syndicate 2 Ltd
• Ebico Ltd
• Fearless Adventures (Investments) LLP
• Hiro Capital LLP
• The Conduit Connect Ltd
• Archangel Investors Ltd
• Deeptech Seed Fund
• Twin Path Ventures Ltd
• Anticus Partners Ltd
• Cambridge Angels Group Ltd
• London Venture Partners LLP
• Astanor Ventures
• Concept VC Ltd
• Angel Academe Ltd
• Cambridge Enterprise Ltd
• Eos Advisory LLP
• Two Magnolias G.P. LLP
• Counteract Partners Ltd
• Extantia Capital
• Deepbridge Capital LLP
• FOV Fund Management Oy
• Creative UK Holdings Ltd
• Earth Capital Ltd
• Noba Cap Advisers Ltd
• Carbon13 Group Ltd

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 27 November 2023.

Thousands of people across rural parts of Oxfordshire and North East Staffordshire are set to benefit from new lightning-fast broadband thanks to £43 million of UK government funding.

• Around 16,000 homes and businesses in hard-to-reach areas across Oxfordshire and North East Staffordshire to be upgraded with lightning-fast broadband
• £43 million in government funding will spur the rollout of next generation connectivity to thousands of businesses and local residents, with spades in the ground by Spring
• Cash boost will help level-up rural and remote communities, boosting public services and spurring economic growth

Thousands of people across rural parts of Oxfordshire and North East Staffordshire are set to benefit from new lightning-fast broadband thanks to £43 million of UK government funding, in a move to tackle the long-term challenges facing hard-working people and businesses in the UK.

Backed by £26.5 million, around 10,000 homes and businesses in rural Oxfordshire communities including Stoke Row, Somerton and North Aston will benefit from fast and reliable broadband connections. Meanwhile, £16.5 million will see around 6,000 rural properties in North East Staffordshire including Longnor, Marchington and Alstonefield receive internet speeds more than 30 times faster than superfast broadband.

With gigabit-capable broadband, these households will no longer have to struggle with limited bandwidth, and businesses will be able to improve their productivity with none of the disruptions associated with ageing copper networks, helping to build a more dynamic economy that delivers prosperity across every corner of the country. Having the fastest connections also means the UK is fit-for-the-future, with broadband infrastructure designed to deliver for people’s needs for decades to come.

The investment forms part of the government’s £5 billion Project Gigabit, which aims to ensure people have the same access to high-speed broadband wherever they live, work and study. From the Midlands to the South East of England, work will now get underway to survey thousands of premises in rural villages and communities, with spades in the ground expected by spring next year.

Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure, Sir John Whittingdale, said:

We want to make sure that no matter where you live or work, everyone has access to reliable internet which is why we’re spending billions to upgrade local networks.

In rural Oxfordshire and North East Staffordshire, thousands will experience the positive impact fast and reliable broadband has as their connectivity improves, supporting households and businesses, fostering growth and boosting productivity.

Work will now begin in these areas covering around 16,000 properties and by facilitating the fastest connections, we are not just reaping the benefits now but positioning the UK for a future where our broadband infrastructure remains resilient for decades to come.

Rural full fibre provider Gigaclear will roll out high-speed connectivity to premises across North and South Oxfordshire including Nettlebed and Fritwell, in a bid to transform broadband speeds and reliability for local residents.

In a boost for local schools and colleges as part of the investment, Gigaclear has committed to providing skills workshops and apprenticeship programmes to a diverse range of applicants in the local community to help them kick start a career in the telecoms industry.

Today’s announcement builds on work Gigaclear has already delivered in the area, connecting 25 vital public service buildings including schools, health centres, libraries and fire stations to gigabit-capable networks as part of the government’s Project Gigabit GigaHubs programme. Working in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council, the high-speed connectivity will help improve the delivery of public services across the county. For example, GPs will be able to provide remote video consultations and whole classes of schoolchildren can be online at once with no interruptions.

Gigaclear CEO Gareth Williams said:

I welcome the award of these contracts as they reinforce the important role Gigaclear is playing in helping the Government achieve its wider broadband roll-out ambitions.

We’ve already invested more than £70 million to extend our network across many of the county’s rural communities and once these contracts have been delivered, Gigaclear will have provided a new Gigabit fibre connection to more than 85,000 rural Oxfordshire residents and businesses.

Oxfordshire County Council Leader, Councillor Liz Leffman said:

We are delighted that local firm Gigaclear has been awarded the Project Gigabit contract for delivery of full fibre broadband to thousands of Oxfordshire homes and businesses.

This public sector investment in digital infrastructure is critical to levelling up areas where commercial funding alone is insufficient to secure the money necessary to make this build happen.

The project aligns very well with all the work the council’s digital infrastructure programme is doing such as the GigaHubs project which has secured a full fibre connection to Wychwood library where we are today”.

In North East Staffordshire, Connect Fibre will be charged with rolling out full fibre broadband to those currently struggling with slow speeds, in places such as Longnor, Marchington and Alstonefield.

Local people will further benefit from Connect Fibre’s commitment to develop community initiatives aimed to foster well-being in the region, by delivering free gigabit connections to Staffordshire Community Learning and Staffordshire Libraries sites.

Connect Fibre CEO, Stefan Stanislawski, said:

Connect Fibre is incredibly proud and honoured to be awarded the Project Gigabit contract to deliver full fibre broadband to the Staffordshire Moorlands and beyond. Delivering real, reliable broadband will change the lives of people living in rural areas and the region as a whole.

With our smart farming programme and free gigabit connections for community learning and library sites, our commitment to supporting the community goes beyond just broadband. We are excited to embark on this journey and look forward to witnessing the positive impact it will have on residents in the region.

Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for environment, infrastructure and climate change Simon Tagg said:

Access to gigabit capable broadband speeds is essential to our communities and businesses and so it’s excellent to see this reach extended by Connect Fibre through Project Gigabit.

Faster broadband improves everyone’s day-to-day living, enabling people to access health, education, banking and leisure services and more. It is also critical for business operations, growth and increased productivity. Our Superfast Staffordshire programme was a huge success and made a real difference over the last decade – now gigabit capable connection is the next step.

Across the UK, gigabit coverage has increased rapidly in recent years – from one in ten households in 2019 to nearly eight in ten today. These latest Project Gigabit contracts come as Building Digital UK (BDUK), reports that 929,700 premises in mostly hard-to-reach areas of the UK now have access to gigabit connectivity thanks to government investment.

-ENDS-

Notes to editors

• Project Gigabit is the government’s flagship £5 billion programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband
• Premises set to be reached by these contracts are subject to change following detailed planning by the suppliers or due to technical reasons during the lifetime of the contract *BDUK awarded supplier Gigaclear a £26.5 million contract to provide around 10,000 premises in North and South Oxfordshire with access to gigabit-capable broadband
• BDUK awarded supplier Connect Fibre a £16.5 million contract to provide around 6,000 premises in North East Staffordshire with access to gigabit-capable broadband
• The Oxfordshire Gigahubs project has been jointly funded by BDUK and Oxfordshire County Council, as well as other funding partners

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 24 November 2023.

Common sense changes to the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill will safeguard the public, prevent fraud, and unlock post-Brexit opportunities.

A raft of common-sense changes to the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill will build an innovative data protection regime in the UK, crack down on benefit fraud cheats, and allow the country to realise new post-Brexit freedoms which are expected to deliver new economic opportunities to the tune of at least £4 billion.

The changes include new powers to require data from third parties, particularly banks and financial organisations, to help the UK government reduce benefit fraud and save the taxpayer up to £600 million over the next five years. Currently, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) can only undertake fraud checks on a claimant on an individual basis, where there is already a suspicion of fraud.

The new proposals would allow regular checks to be carried out on the bank accounts held by benefit claimants to spot increases in their savings which push them over the benefit eligibility threshold, or when people send more time overseas than the benefit rules allow for. This will help identify fraud take action more quickly. To make sure that privacy concerns are at the heart of these new measures, only a minimum amount of data will be accessed and only in instances which show a potential risk of fraud and error.

Another measure offers vital reassurance and support to families as they grieve the loss of a child. In cases where a child has died through suicide, a proposed ‘data preservation process’ would require social media companies to keep any relevant personal data which could then be used in subsequent investigations or inquests.

Current rules mean that social media companies aren’t obliged to hold onto this data for longer than is needed, meaning that data which could prove vital to coroner investigations could be deleted as part of a platform’s routine maintenance. The change tabled today represents an important step for families coming to terms with the loss of a loved one, and takes further steps to help ensure harmful content has no place online.

The use of biometric data, such as fingerprints, to strengthen national security is also covered by the amendments, with the ability of Counter Terrorism Police to hold onto the biometrics of individuals who pose a potential threat, and which are supplied by organisations such as Interpol, being bolstered.

This would see officers being able to retain biometric data for as long as an INTERPOL notice is in force, matching this process up with INTERPOL’s own retention rules. The amendments will also ensure that where an individual has a foreign conviction, their biometrics will be able to be retained indefinitely in the same way as is already possible for individuals with UK convictions – this is particularly important where foreign nationals may have existing convictions for serious offences, including terrorist offences.

Maintaining the UK’s high standards of data protection is central to both the wider Bill and the proposed amendments which have been laid today.

Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Michelle Donelan, said:

Britain has seized a key Brexit opportunity – boosting small businesses, protecting consumers and cracking down on criminal enterprises like nuisance calling and benefit fraud.

These changes protect our privacy and data while also injecting common sense into the system – whether it is cracking down on cookies, scrapping pointless paperwork which stifles productivity, tackling benefit fraud or making it easier to protect our citizens from criminals.

These changes help to establish the UK as a world-leading data economy; one that puts consumers and businesses at the centre and removes the ‘one-size-fits-all’ barriers that have held many British businesses back.

The Bill’s focus is to create an innovative and flexible data protection regime which will maintain the UK’s high standards of data protection, streamline processes for companies, strengthen national security, and support grieving families. Making it easier to use personal data which will improve efficiency, lead to better public services, and enable new innovations across science, innovation, and technology.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mel Stride MP, said:

These new powers send a very clear message to benefit fraudsters – we won’t stand for it. These people are taking the taxpayer for a ride and it is right that we do all we can to bring them to justice.

These powers will be used proportionately, ensuring claimants’ data is safely protected while rooting out fraudsters at the earliest possible opportunity.

Home Secretary, James Cleverly, said:

My priority is to continue cutting crime and ensuring the public is protected from security threats. Law enforcement and our security partners must have access to the best possible tools and data, including biometrics, to continue to keep us safe.

This Bill will improve the efficiency of data protection for our security and policing partners—encouraging better use of personal information and ensuring appropriate safeguards for privacy.

The amendments tabled today show the practical steps being taken by the UK government to improve how the nation uses and accesses personal data, capitalising on the UK’s departure from the European Union to introduce measures which will protect the public purse, strengthen national security, and offer important support to grieving families.

These amendments will also help the Bill realise its ambition of bulldozing burdens for businesses and removing restrictions for researchers, ensuring new advances in science, innovation, and technology can be fuelled by more practical ways to access data.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 24 November 2023.

Science Minister Andrew Griffith made his first ministerial visit yesterday to the National Physical Laboratory following the announcement of five Quantum Missions at the Autumn Statement.

Science Minister Andrew Griffith made his first ministerial visit yesterday (Thursday 23 November) to the National Physical Laboratory and its new state-of-the-art lab. The visit marks the launch of five new Quantum Missions aimed at securing the UK’s status as a world leader in the technology, by setting clear milestones for inward investment and research in areas like computing, healthcare and navigation.

On Wednesday, (22 November) the Chancellor launched the five new Quantum Missions as part of the Autumn Statement, with the stated aim of galvanising academics, industry and private investors to commit time and resource towards achieving specific key milestones over the next decade and a half.

With the biggest impacts for quantum technologies expected in the long-term, these Missions will help crystallize the activity and investment needed in the public and private sectors to achieve ambitious milestones for this technology. The advent of quantum technology could see faster and more successful financial modelling that reduces risk for businesses, new sensors detecting cancers and other diseases more quickly and the creation of batteries far more efficient than ever before.

The Missions, backed by our £2.5 billion Quantum Strategy, are:

• By 2035, there will be accessible, UK-based quantum computers capable of running 1 trillion operations and supporting applications that provide benefits well in excess of classical supercomputers across key sectors of the economy.
• By 2035, the UK will have deployed the world’s most advanced quantum network at scale, pioneering the future quantum internet.
• By 2030, every NHS Trust will benefit from quantum sensing-enabled solutions, helping those with chronic illness live healthier, longer lives through early diagnosis and treatment.
• By 2030, quantum navigation systems, including clocks, will be deployed on aircraft, providing next-generation accuracy for resilience that is independent of satellite signals.
• By 2030, mobile, networked quantum sensors will have unlocked new situational awareness capabilities, exploited across critical infrastructure in the transport, telecoms, energy, and defence sectors.

The Science Minister visited the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, home to their Advanced Quantum Metrology Lab, a new, state-of-the-art facility used for the test and evaluation of clocks, which provides super-accurate timing that researchers and companies can access to test their own technology and validate their research.

On the visit the Minister met with some of the leading quantum scientists and engineers in the country, as well as toured the state-of-the-art facilities, including those which provide the UK’s own exact time, as well as a 3 metres tall quantum refrigerator that is colder than deep space.

Minister Griffith was appointed as Science Minister last week following a sterling career in the City of London and recently serving as City Minister within the Treasury.

The Minister will leverage this experience to ensure the UK’s burgeoning science sector can secure both the domestic and foreign investment it needs to build scalable industries of tomorrow, including quantum technologies.

Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, Minister Andrew Griffith said:

Quantum technology has the potential to revolutionise the way modern economies work through an exponential increase in processing speed and power.

I want to ensure the UK is in a position to be one of the first and biggest beneficiaries of this game-changing technology, which is why we are investing £2.5 billion in quantum over the next ten years, and launching these Quantum Missions to focus the minds of investors and researchers on the key concrete steps we can take.

The announcement of the Five Quantum Missions at the Autumn Statement comes alongside further support for UK compute, including an investment of £500 million into using compute for artificial intelligence (AI), spread over two years.

Quantum technologies – one of the government’s five critical technologies – are devices and systems using quantum mechanics to provide capabilities that ‘classical’ machines like binary computers cannot. They could bring enormous benefits to the economy, such as making it possible to solve complex problems impossible to solve with even the most powerful high-performance classical computers, and opening entirely new frontiers in sensing, timing, imaging, and communications.

Dr Peter Thompson, CEO, National Physical Laboratory (NPL) said:

Our science and engineering facilities at National Physical Laboratory (NPL), which the Minister has seen today, are directly contributing to the realisation of the Quantum Missions. The significant investments at NPL in quantum, focus on ensuring that the UK sees the benefits to our economic prosperity, national security, and wellbeing.

Innovative UK companies of all sizes are working with us to test their quantum technologies’, leading to greater investment and scale up, and accelerating both their ability to get technologies to market quicker, and to trade more effectively.

The National Quantum Strategy, published in March 2023, commits a further £2.5 billion to developing quantum technologies in the UK over the ten years from 2024 which will aim to generate at least an additional £1 billion of private investment into the programme.

This announcement comes off the back of continued support for the sector from the government. In October, Science and Technology Michelle Donelan opened PsiQuantum’s new state-of-the-art research and development (R&D) facility at Sci-Tech Daresbury, which is supported with £9 million from the Government. In June, Minister Freeman announced £45 million in funding to support universities and businesses working in the UK’s quantum technologies sector.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 23 November 2023.

A raft of measures worth hundreds of millions from compute to quantum and life sciences research to pro-innovation regulation were announced in the Autumn Statement yesterday (Wednesday 22 November).

Tax cuts for working people and British business headlined the Chancellor’s ‘Autumn Statement for Growth’ today to build a stronger and more resilient economy. The plan to unlock growth and productivity includes boosting business investment by £20 billion a year, getting more people into work, and cutting tax for 29 million workers – the biggest tax cut on work since the 1980s.

In science, innovation and technology, a new £500 million investment in artificial intelligence in compute will support the UK’s world leading scientists and AI researchers to continue delivering extraordinary new discoveries benefiting us all – giving AI start-ups and other businesses access to cutting edge compute that boosts productivity and innovation and helps make our country the best place in the world to create an AI start-up.

Developing this computing power also benefits society beyond lifting economic growth, helping us tackle climate change and power the discovery of new drugs.

Additionally, five new Quantum Missions were unveiled to galvanise academics, industry and private investors to commit time and resource towards hitting significant milestones, like embedding quantum sensing into the NHS.

We are also backing businesses to scale up with new funding, providing clearer rules on stakes for ‘spinout’ companies and strengthening pro-innovation regulation with new regulatory sandboxes offering supervised real-life or simulated tests to trial new products, services or business models to meet safety standards while also fostering creativity and technological advancement.

Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary, Michelle Donelan, said:

I believe that the UK’s incredible science and tech success story is all about having the skills for the future, investment in scale-up and sensible regulation.

The Chancellor’s Statement injects even more fuel into our science and tech economy – and will help to realise my vision for a country where more high value British jobs are driving us faster toward amazing discoveries that will help us live longer, healthier, happier, easier lives.

Among the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) policies announced in the Autumn Statement are:

Tech and investment

Compute

The Chancellor announced a £500 million investment in AI compute over two years as part of an expansion of the AI Research Resource – providing the UK’s world leading scientists and AI researchers with access to cutting-edge computing power that is necessary to process complicated, lengthy tasks.

This investment will help researchers make the extraordinary discoveries, such as better understanding climate change, discovering new drugs, and maximising the use of AI to improve lives.

This will also provide our AI start-ups and other small medium enterprises (SMEs) with access to this resource driving productivity and innovation and helping make the UK the best place in the world to create an AI start-up.

Quantum Missions

The Chancellor launched five new Quantum Missions aimed at securing the UK’s status as a world leader in the technology, by setting clear milestones for inward investment and research in areas like computing, healthcare and navigation.

Quantum technologies – one of the government’s five critical technologies – are devices and systems using quantum mechanics to provide capabilities that ‘classical’ machines like binary computers cannot. They could bring enormous benefits to the economy, such as making it possible to solve complex problems impossible to solve with even the most powerful high-performance classical computers, and opening entirely new frontiers in sensing, timing, imaging, and communications.

With the biggest impacts for quantum technologies expected in the long-term, these missions will help crystallise the activity and investment needed in the public and private sectors to achieve ambitious milestones for this technology.

The Missions, backed by our £2.5 billion Quantum Strategy, are:

• By 2035, there will be accessible, UK-based quantum computers capable of running 1 trillion operations and supporting applications that provide benefits well in excess of classical supercomputers across key sectors of the economy.
• By 2035, the UK will have deployed the world’s most advanced quantum network at scale, pioneering the future quantum internet.
• By 2030, every NHS Trust will benefit from quantum sensing-enabled solutions, helping those with chronic illness live healthier, longer lives through early diagnosis and treatment.
• By 2030, quantum navigation systems, including clocks, will be deployed on aircraft, providing next-generation accuracy for resilience that is independent of satellite signals.
• By 2030, mobile, networked quantum sensors will have unlocked new situational awareness capabilities, exploited across critical infrastructure in the transport, telecoms, energy, and defence sectors.

Semiconductors

We have announced plans to make it easier for semiconductor manufacturers to grow and stay in the UK.

The Chancellor clarified the government’s priorities for the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB), to ensure it is able to invest in critical supply chains where the Bank’s strategic objectives can be met, including semiconductor manufacturing. The Bank are actively engaging with the sector and exploring market opportunities. UKIB has £22 billion of financial capacity.

Making chips isn’t cheap, and it takes a huge amount of energy. So, as well as unlocking new sources of funding, the British Industry Supercharger scheme will bring energy prices for eligible British chip makers in line with those in other major economies around the world.

Enterprise creation and scale-up

Full expensing

The Chancellor announced that full expensing – a 100% first-year allowance for main rate expenditure – and the associated 50% first-year allowance for special rate expenditure would be made permanent. This will deliver the largest business tax cut in modern British history and means the UK has the lowest headline corporation tax rate and most generous capital allowances in the G7.

This will enable businesses to invest in technology and the Office for Budget Responsibility says it will increase annual investment overall by around £3 billion a year and a total of £14 billion over the forecast period.

The overall impact of the Chancellor’s growth measures will increase business investment in the UK economy, by around £20 billion a year within a decade, nearly 1% of GDP at today’s level – the biggest ever boost for business investment in modern times, a decisive step towards closing the productivity gap with other major economies and the most effective way we can raise wages and living standards for every family in the country.

Spinouts

University spin-out companies play a hugely important role for the UK economy, with investment increasing almost five-fold since 2014. The independent review – led by Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University and Andrew Williamson, Managing Partner of Cambridge Innovation Capital – recommended innovation-friendly policies that universities and investors should adopt to make the UK the best place in the world to start a spin-out company. To capitalise on this strength, the government is accepting all the review’s recommendations and setting out how it will deliver them.

Several leading universities have endorsed the recommendations of the review, and the government will provide £20 million to foster more spin-out companies.

In the past, many spin-outs deals were created from scratch, which is both inefficient and sometimes fails to learn the lessons from previous success stories. Today’s recommendations aim to speed up the process and build on TenU’s University Spin-out Investment Terms Guide by recommending 10-25% university equity for life sciences spinouts, and 10% or less for less IP-intensive sectors, common in software. This will make it easier for investors to back companies, knowing the founders retain a significant stake in the company and its success.

Discovery Fellowship

To deliver against the government’s Science & Technology Superpower ambitions, the government is supporting the new Faraday Discovery Fellowship, which is intended to be backed by a £250 million endowment to the Royal Society.

This significant long-term investment in top research talent will support at least 30 leading mid-career scientists and researchers for up to ten years each, to conduct ground-breaking and discovery-based research in STEM in the UK. Prospective researchers will be able to apply via an application process that minimises bureaucracy.

Research projects will span a broad range of STEM subjects, which could include government priority science and technology areas such as Engineering Biology and Quantum, ensuring the UK remains at the cutting edge of scientific research.

This long-term endowment investment builds on the new £150 million Green Future Fellowship programme, announced recently by the government, which is intended to be delivered by the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Venture Capital skills fellowship programme

To further strengthen the UK’s renowned venture capital industry, the Chancellor has announced a £3 million fellowship programme scheme to develop a new generation of science and tech venture investors.

The scheme – which will be developed and piloted by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology – aims to produce the next generation of world-leading investors capable of investing in the vanguard of science and tech – helping deliver breakthroughs in such things as vaccines, AI, and robots.

Places for up to 20 people currently working in venture capital will be available in the pilot scheme, which could be rolled out over subsequent years. The Fellowship will provide participants with the training and network to fast-track their careers within the venture capital industry to become leaders within their firms, with the potential to set up their own VC funds in the longer-term.

The programme follows a recommendation from the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology and will complement the world-renowned Kauffman Fellowship in the US which has trained over 800 investors who manage funds worth over $1 trillion – helping to generate growth and drive innovation in the economy.

Battery Manufacturing

Alongside the Department for Business and Trade’s battery strategy, the Chancellor announced:

• £50 million for developing the UK’s battery world-class capabilities, from R&D to industrialisation.
• £11 million to fund collaborative R&D in battery development incorporating technologies such as AI.

Government’s response to the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) organisational Landscape Review

The government has published its response to Sir Paul Nurse’s Review of the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Organisational Landscape. The response sets out ambitious actions the government is taking to evolve the landscape of organisations performing RDI in the UK to be more diverse, resilient and investable. This builds on progress already made since the publication of the Review, including the creation of the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the publication of the Science and Technology Framework.

The response makes a wide range of commitments, such as: maximising the impact of public sector RDI organisations, for example by providing £25 million to provide core small and medium-scale research infrastructure; supporting RDI talent by, for example, establishing world-class Discovery Fellowships backed by a £250 million endowment; and making the UK a world-leader for philanthropic partnerships, demonstrated by the recently announced new consortium of philanthropic funders for UK Biobank. All of this will be underpinned by a data- and evidence-driven approach.

The actions announced in the response will help to drive national prosperity and create a system that is greater than the sum of its parts, spearheading the government’s ambitions to be a Science and Technology Superpower.

Skills

National Academy focussed on mathematical sciences

The government has consistently emphasised how essential it is to build mathematical capabilities in the UK and recognises the importance of providing support to this sector in a long-term and sustainable way.

We have seen the success that the existing National Academies have had over many years in supporting research in their disciplines.

The government will support the creation of a National Academy focussed on mathematical sciences. We will be engaging key stakeholders in the mathematical community on the best way to do so and will be providing further details of this engagement shortly. As part of our commitment to supporting this work, we are willing to back this initiative with up to £6 million of seed funding over the next three years, subject to business case.

Life Sciences

Life Sciences is a key strength of the UK economy, critical to our health, wealth and resilience. As part of the £4.5 billion unveiled by the Chancellor for strategic manufacturing sectors, the government has committed £520 million for life sciences manufacturing to build resilience for future health emergencies and capitalise on the UK’s world-leading research and development.

The Chancellor also announced that we are further backing UK innovation by investing £10 million, with an additional £10 million from Scottish Enterprise, in a world-class Oligonucleotides Manufacturing Innovation Centre of Excellence.

Further to this, the government is providing £51 million to the UK’s largest ever research study – Our Future Health – a world-leading resource for health research. This funding will support Our Future Health to recruit hundreds of thousands of new volunteers and to genotype the first 1 million participants, supporting the development of better ways to prevent, detect and treat diseases.

Regulation

Regulatory sandboxes

DSIT has launched regulatory sandboxes for telecommunications spectrum sharing, engineering biology, and space to support a pro-innovation approach to regulation and standards which stimulates demand for science and technology, attracting investment while representing UK values and safeguarding citizens.

Telecommunications: Spectrum Sharing – Radio frequency spectrum (spectrum) is the range of invisible electromagnetic waves that enable all wireless technology, from mobile phones, and Wi-Fi to aircraft navigation and satellite applications The Wireless Infrastructure Strategy and Spectrum Statement outlined that increased spectrum sharing will be a key feature of 5G, 6G and future networks. The spectrum sandboxes, facilitated through Ofcom’s sandbox framework, will test and demonstrate such sharing between networks, for example, between different private networks used on a localised basis such as in a factory, farm, transport hub or office. This will inform government and Ofcom on the role of more intensive spectrum sharing supported by appropriate authorisation models.

Engineering biology – Engineering biology is the design, scaling and commercialisation of biology-derived products and services that can transform sectors or produce existing products more sustainably. Earlier this year, DSIT established the Engineering Biology Regulators Network (EBRN) and will channel the insights from the call for evidence to guide the EBRN, ensuring the sandboxes effectively tackle the most pressing regulatory challenges faced by the industry.

Space – The government is currently undertaking a regulatory review due to conclude in March 2024. In collaboration with operators and the Civil Aviation Authority, the government will develop the regulatory sandbox and testbed initiatives. This will act as an enabler for both understanding the current regulatory environment and for developing detailed, mutually agreed guidance for these missions going forwards.

Space

Earth Observation investment

The Chancellor unveiled almost £47 million in funding this financial year to boost activity and innovation in the Earth observation sector as the UK re-enters Copernicus from January 2024.

With around 18% of UK GDP underpinned by satellite services, this fund will support businesses that provide and use Earth observation data, including small and medium enterprises, to explore new projects and bolster the economy.

Low-earth orbit satellite development

The Chancellor confirmed £15 million of calls are now open under the £60 million European Space Agency Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems programme, allocated to the UK’s Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit scheme. This will fund the next generation of satellite communications development and boost the UK’s leadership in the ever-growing satellite market for the next 10-15 years.

It will support UK-based suppliers in developing the technologies needed to build the next generation of low Earth orbit satcom satellites, which are key to offering connectivity in remote and rural parts of UK, bridging the digital divide and levelling-up our country while growing the economy.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 23 November 2023.

A UK team has been awarded more than £10 million to replace Russian components in the Rosalind Franklin Mars Rover.

A European mission to explore life on Mars has been given a major boost after a UK firm was awarded more than £10 million to replace Russian components in the Rosalind Franklin Mars Rover, Space Minister Andrew Griffith announced today (Thursday 23 November).

The rover, which was built by Airbus in Stevenage as part of a European Space Agency programme, was due to launch in 2022 before collaboration with Russia’s space agency was cancelled following the illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Now, the UK Space Agency will provide an additional £10.7 million to a UK team to replace a Russian-made instrument on the Rosalind Franklin rover, with the aim of launching to Mars in 2028. It brings the total government investment in the Rosalind Franklin, through the UK Space Agency, to £377 million.

The rover is expected to travel several kilometres across the planet in search of a site with high potential of evidence of life on Mars. It will collect samples by drilling to a depth of around two metres below its surface, before using next-generation instruments to analyse findings in an onboard laboratory.

The new funding will allow a UK team, led by the University of Aberystwyth, to build the new instrument, named Enfys – meaning ‘rainbow’ in Welsh. It will identify targets on the surface of Mars for sampling and analysis, which could in turn reveal evidence of life on the Red Planet.

Enfys will work with University College London’s (UCL) Mullard Space team’s panoramic camera to identify minerals – enabling the rover to drill for samples to be analysed by other instruments on board.

The announcement comes on the final day of the UK Space Conference in Belfast, which has brought experts and innovators from across the world in government, industry and academia together to shape the future of space.

Science, Research and Innovation Minister, Andrew Griffith, said:

Is there life on Mars?’ That has been asked by mankind for generations and this UK investment is an exciting opportunity to enhance our understanding of the Red Planet and perhaps finally answer that very question.

It is also just the surface of our support for the UK’s growing space sector with further funds unlocked for earth observation firms to gather key climate data and low earth orbit satellites to better connect rural areas and level up the UK.

Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, Dr Paul Bate, said:

The UK-built Rosalind Franklin rover is a truly world-leading piece of technology at the frontier of space exploration. It is fantastic that experts from the UK can also provide a key instrument for this mission, using UK Space Agency funding.

As well as boosting world-class UK space technology to further our understanding of Mars and its potential to host life, this extra funding will strengthen collaboration across the fast-growing UK space sector and economy.”

It follows yesterday’s (Wednesday 22 November) announcement by the Chancellor, in his Autumn Statement, of almost £47 million in funding this financial year to boost activity and innovation in the Earth observation sector as the UK re-enters Copernicus from January 2024.

The fund will support businesses that use Earth observation data including small and medium enterprises, to explore new projects and bolster the economy, with around 18% of UK GDP underpinned by satellite services.

The Chancellor confirmed £15 million of calls are now open under the £60 million European Space Agency Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems programme, allocated to the UK’s Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit scheme. This will fund the next generation of satellite communications development and boost the UK’s leadership in the ever-growing satellite market for the next 10-15 years.

It will support UK-based suppliers in developing the technologies needed to build the next generation of low Earth orbit satcom satellites, which are key to offering connectivity in remote and rural parts of UK, bridging the digital divide and levelling-up our country while growing the economy.

Principal Investigator on Enfys at Aberystwyth University, Dr Matt Gunn, said:

This is a challenging and complex technical endeavour which has the potential to make a significant contribution to our search for signs of life on Mars. The instrument team, both here in Aberystwyth and in the partnering institutions are all very much looking forward to receiving measurements from the planet’s surface to expand our knowledge of the Mars environment.

We learned a lot during the development and testing of PanCam and it is a privilege to be leading the fantastic team of people who will put that knowledge into practice once again to develop a new instrument for the mission.

The latest UK Space Agency investment in the Mars Rover builds on existing work by UK institutions involved with the project, including the University of Leicester, Bradford University and the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory as key players in the development of the CCD camera on the Raman Laser Spectrometer (Raman LIBS).

This can detect the presence of chemical compounds including minerals and specific types of ‘biomarkers’ – chemicals indicative of past or present life – that are produced by primitive micro-organisms to enable them to adapt to life in extreme environments.

Notes to editors

The Mars Rover project will be led by the European Space Agency with further support from the UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory, the Science and Technology Facilities Council RAL Space and Qioptiq Ltd.

The Rosalind Franklin, is part of the ExoMars programme that will explore the surface of Mars and will be the first mission to combine the capability to move across the surface and to study Mars at depth. It will collect samples with a drill down to a depth of two metres and analyse them with next-generation instruments in an onboard laboratory.

The UK team developing Enfys, led by the University of Aberystwyth, will replace the Russian-built Infrared Spectrometer for ExoMars (ISEM).

Enfys will work with University College London’s (UCL) Mullard Space MSSL-led Pancam.