Tag: Department for Science Innovation and Technology

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 14 October 2023.

AI projects in areas as diverse as fashion, farming and fire-fighting to be backed with a further £37 million funding, ahead of next month’s AI Safety Summit.

Artificial intelligence projects in areas as diverse as fashion, farming and fire-fighting are being backed with a further £37 million, as the Science and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan highlights how AI can be a force for good ahead of next month’s AI Safety Summit.

Research teams and businesses of all sizes in high-growth industries – from transport to agriculture and construction to creative industries – are encouraged to apply for a share of £32 million, which is now open for bids. The funding will help grow their AI initiatives in a safe and responsible way and boost the wider sector, support their workforces and help the UK towards the Prime Minister’s priority of growing the economy.

A further £5 million has been awarded to feasibility studies for 100 projects involving small businesses across the UK, helping to sow the seeds of an idea that could flourish into game-changing technology, part of a push from government to grasp the positive effects of AI to boost productivity and growth. This funding will support AI tools being used right across the economy, from managing the power supplies to EV chargepoints and reducing delays on the railways, to using AI to reduce the waste produced by the construction industry, and monitoring the health of dairy cattle.

The Technology Secretary unveiled the latest support to drive forward safe, responsible AI solutions in a visit to Kapdaa, a sustainable fashion brand in Kingston Upon Thames, which has received backing for its AI4Fibres project, using AI for textile and fibres recycling.

Kapdaa, among the winners of the £5 million fund announced today, is developing AI-powered cloth recycling to reduce the fashion industry’s environmental footprint and cut back on the estimated 921,000 tonnes of used textiles disposed of in household waste in the UK each year – the equivalent of more than 70,000 London buses.

Its technology can effectively sort and process textile waste by material, while removing zips and buttons to increase recycling and reduce landfills. Current manual methods, reliant on accurate labelling or use of handheld machines to scan the garments individually can make the process labour intensive and expensive.

Other funded projects include TradeWork’s AI-assisted project management systems to enable more efficient work scheduling, resourcing, budgeting and completion that in turn drives faster and cheaper housebuilding and DeepPlanet, which is working to detect and predict diseases in wine grape plants through satellite imagery to prevent waste.

Meanwhile DigiLab in Exeter is helping farmers to identify and verify carbon capture and Better Environment and Transport is exploring AI solutions that will help UK Fire and Rescue services to move their fleets towards net-zero, saving on fuel bills and cutting pollution.

Science and Technology Secretary, Michelle Donelan, said:

When it is deployed safely and responsibly, AI can and will transform what is possible in the world of work, unlocking gains in productivity and efficiency that could never have been imagined before.

That is why we are backing 100 small teams with the seed of an idea – from using AI to boost clothing recycling to driving housebuilding – to drive them forward. At the same time our £32 million competition will support teams of all sizes to kick their ideas on to the next level, further helping us shape how this vital technology of the future can work for us and grow our economy.

It is also why we are bringing world leaders and tech experts together in just a few weeks’ time for the AI Safety Summit, to build cooperation around the risks and opportunities of this incredibly promising technology and how we manage it safely.

Co-founder of Kapdaa, Nishant Parekh, said:

Our aim is to make the UK self-sufficient for its own textile waste. We are creating a one of a kind AI system completely conceptualised and built in the UK, providing a unique way to reduce landfill.

Eventually, it will create an entirely new sector and inspire young generations to support sustainability.

The £32 million competition is open now and closes on 8 November, days after the UK hosts leading AI nations, technology companies, researchers, and civil society groups at the world’s first major summit on AI Safety, driving national and international action for the safe and responsible development of frontier AI around the world.

Funding, through the UKRI Technology Missions Fund and delivered by the Innovate UK BridgeAI programme, will be granted to at least one micro business, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), one large enterprise and one academic institution or research and technology organisation (RTO).

Dr Kedar Pandya, Executive Director, Cross-Council Programmes at UKRI, said:

The feasibility projects UKRI is funding will demonstrate how AI can aid and be incorporated into many of the UK’s industries and sectors.

Similarly, the new competition will develop consortia that involve small, medium and large business partnering with academic and research bodies. This will mean drawing on both the knowledge and practical experiences of partners.

The latest funding boost comes weeks after the Technology Secretary committed £2 million towards four projects exploring AI solutions to some of the hardest-to-treat cancers and followed £13 million, pledged through the UKRI Technology Missions Fund, for research that will deliver pioneering AI innovation in healthcare, with 22 winning university and NHS trust projects stretching from Edinburgh to Surrey receiving a share.

In June, the government also announced £31 million to create a UK and international research and innovation ecosystem for responsible and trustworthy AI.

Notes to editors

Kapdaa is a multi-award-winning London based sustainable fashion brand. They collaborate with fashion and interior designers, textile manufacturers, fabric weavers, mills and brands to convert their fabric offcuts (pieces leftover after a garment is created) into limited edition, eco-friendly, affordable accessories and stationery. The business says it has so far saved over 10,000 metres from going to landfill – more than two laps of Hyde Park in London.

This £37 million is funded through the UKRI Technology Missions Fund announced in the Science and Technology Framework, and delivered by the Innovate UK BridgeAI programme, to support AI innovation in high-growth industries.

Find out more about how to apply to the current £32 million competition – AI Solutions to improve productivity in key sectors.

The £32 million competition will help to fund around 80 businesses and 20 consortia. As the consortia are required to involve three organisations at a minimum, this will be involve around 60.

The £5 million feasibility fund supports UK registered micro, small or medium-sized businesses in collaboration with academic institutions where appropriate. 100 projects are being awarded and with each project receiving up to £50,000 and lasting between four and six months.

About UKRI Technology Missions Fund

The UKRI Technology Missions funding is designed to exploit the UK’s global leadership in transformative technologies to help solve specific problems, whilst also helping cement that leading position.  Overall, UKRI is investing £250 million in Technology Missions to enable new and existing capabilities and capacity in artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and engineering biology in the years 2023-2025 and beyond. With a further £70 million announced to support future telecommunications.

About Innovate UK BridgeAI

Innovate UK BridgeAI empowers UK businesses in high-growth sectors, driving productivity and economic growth through the adoption of Artificial Intelligence. We bridge the gap between developers and end-users, fostering user-driven AI technologies. With a focus on ethics, transparency, and data privacy, we aim to build trust and confidence in the development of AI solutions. Strengthening AI leadership, supporting workforces, and promoting responsible innovation, BridgeAI shapes a collaborative and AI-enabled future. BridgeAI is an Innovate UK funded programme, delivered by a consortium including Innovate UK, Digital Catapult, The Alan Turing Institute, STFC Hartree Centre and BSI.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 12 October 2023.

ChipStart is a two-year pilot programme backed by the government providing start-ups with the technical and commercial help they need to help bring new products to market.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 11 October 2023.

Readout from the Technology Secretary’s roundtable with social media companies on 11 October 2023.

The Technology Secretary today convened UK leaders of social media companies Google, Meta, X, TikTok and Snapchat to discuss the proliferation of antisemitism and extremely violent content following Hamas’ acts of terrorism in Israel.

In the meeting, the Technology Secretary asked social media platforms to clearly set out what action they were taking to swiftly remove illegal content and content that breaches their terms and conditions. She specifically urged the platforms to step up their actions to keep children safe from violent content from these acts of terrorism.

Secretary of State was clear she wanted to see action and the companies were clear that they are ready to act swiftly to protect users and stop the spread of terrorism and antisemitism online. The Secretary of State noted that the next few days will reveal their preparedness, and asked for each company to follow up in writing to confirm the steps they are taking to tackle extremely violent and antisemitic content.

The meeting comes ahead of the Online Safety Bill receiving Royal Assent which, when it becomes law, will for the first time place a legal duty on companies to remove illegal content from their platforms, enforce the agreements they make with users through their terms, and keep children safe online. Under the bill, if platforms fail to comply they could face severe fines from Ofcom, and executives could even face prison.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 9 October 2023.

Edinburgh has been selected to host a next-gen supercomputer fuelling economic growth, building on the success of a Bristol-based AI supercomputer, creating high-skilled jobs.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 5 October 2023.

The UK has joined a global coalition to enhance communication network resilience and is investing £70 million in advancing domestic next-gen telecom technology through the UKRI Technology Missions Fund.

The UK is joining forces with leading nations to strengthen coordination on telecoms security, resilience and innovation as a new global coalition is launched today (Thursday 5 October).

Together with Australia, Canada, Japan and the US, the UK will use the coalition to help ensure communications networks can remain resilient and adaptable when confronted with challenges ranging from supply chain disruption to cyber attacks, strengthening the country’s ability to stay connected at the most critical times.

Announced today, the Global Coalition on Telecommunications (GCOT) will also explore opportunities for closer coordination in areas such as research and development, information sharing and international outreach. Through these initiatives the coalition seeks to advance several shared objectives which include promoting growth opportunities for industry and enabling dialogue between policymakers, business, and academia. Read the joint statement here.

Telecommunications networks are critical to the UK economy, and ensuring their resilience and security in a changing and increasingly interconnected world is a priority for the UK government. Telecoms markets are inherently global and by working together with some of the world’s biggest economies, the UK can remain at the forefront of efforts to diversify global telecoms supply chains, develop skills and industry expertise, and strengthen security in the face of potential risks.

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

This historic partnership reflects our shared commitment to harnessing the power of telecommunications for the benefit of our nations and the world at large.

Telecommunications networks are the lifeline of global economies, and safeguarding their resilience and security in an evolving, interconnected world is a top priority for our governments.

By joining forces, the UK and our partners are well-positioned to take the lead in broadening supply chains, nurturing industry knowledge, and bolstering security to address emerging challenges.

Alan Davidson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator said:

The critical telecommunications issues of today are global in scope. This groundbreaking coalition will help the U.S. and our partners respond decisively to cross-border opportunities and challenges.

By working ever more closely together, the Coalition members will advance secure, diverse, resilient, and innovative telecommunications networks around the world.

Cementing the UK’s commitment to this vital domestic and international agenda, the UK government is investing an initial £70 million to develop the next generation of telecommunications technology via the Future Telecoms Technology Missions Fund (TMF) Programme.

This investment in new telecom research will help the UK become a leader in 6G technology and beyond – including new technologies to better connect space-based and terrestrial networks, step-changes in capacity/speeds in data transfer and improving energy efficiency of our networks through cloudification. Universities and businesses across the UK are ready to lead projects that bring new, game-changing ideas to the market which could benefit the public by improving internet coverage everywhere, making universal rollout of self-driving cars possible, and using less energy in our growing digital world.

Dr Kedar Pandya, Executive Director, Cross-Council Programmes at UKRI, said:

This £70 million investment will, via the Future Telecoms UKRI Technology Missions Fund (TMF) Programme, form part of  the UK’s contribution to international cooperation in this field and provide tangible benefits to the population and economy.

The UKRI Technology Missions funding is designed to exploit the UK’s global leadership in transformative technologies to help solve specific problems, while also helping to lay the foundations for a longer-term leading position.

In addition, UKRI is investing £250 million through the UKRI Technology Missions Fund to enable new and existing capabilities and capacity in artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and engineering biology in the years 2023-2025 and beyond.

University-led Future Telecoms Research Hubs will facilitate early-stage research -boosting the UK’s role in shaping the future of 6G technologies. In addition to the hubs Innovate UK will fund application-focused challenges to accelerate market-ready solutions and foster collaboration in the UK’s telecoms sector. International cooperation across both of these areas, including through the new GCOT partnership, will ensure UK activity shapes global telecoms technologies, upholds our values, and safeguards our security interests. Innovate UK competitions under the Future Telecoms Technology Mission Fund are launching from 6 October.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 20 September 2023.

Towns and cities across the UK will deploy smart street lamps to test next-gen digital tech, offering EV charging and improved wireless connectivity, as part of a £1.3 million government pilot.

Smart street lamps that can charge electric vehicles and boost wireless coverage will be rolled out in towns and cities across the UK, as part of a £1.3 million pilot to test next-generation digital technologies.

With the rising demand for wireless services, companies are increasingly exploring opportunities to install infrastructure on lamp posts, traffic lights, CCTV columns, benches, bins and bus stops. That is why six areas from across the UK will receive funding to trial new multi-purpose street columns which will house equipment to support the rollout of advanced wireless networks like 5G or free public WiFi, boosting connectivity for people out and about in town and city centres.

The successful pilots will match government funding for this programme, receiving a total investment of over £4 million to help boost local connectivity. The government will provide £1.3 million, while the local authorities will invest a further £2.7 million – helping to deliver better services in communities.

These pilots can also be adapted to carry out a range of functions – from charging EVs to monitoring air quality, and displaying public information to saving energy with street lighting – that will enable councils and combined authorities to unlock new opportunities and improve public services.

The six authorities which will receive government funding through the Smart Infrastructure Pilots Programme (SIPP) are:

• Cambridgeshire County Council (£220,000)
• Tees Valley Combined Authority (£202,500)
• Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (£245,700)
• Westminster City Council (£165,000)
• Oxfordshire County Council (£250,000)
• North Ayrshire Council (£242,765)

By trialling different uses across these areas, the aim is to show how state-of-the-art wireless technology can become an integral part of UK infrastructure, connecting public services and businesses in new ways to realise the full benefits of 5G and advanced connectivity.

Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure Sir John Whittingdale said:

The way we stay in touch, access information and do business is underpinned by digital connectivity – and a world-class wireless infrastructure will be the foundation for the jobs, skills, and services of the future.

We want to ensure that towns and cities across the UK are right at the forefront of this connectivity revolution, ready to seize the opportunities it will bring for local communities, which is exactly what these pilots are about.

They will help demonstrate how advanced wireless technology can enable areas to innovate and deliver better public services, from rolling out electric vehicle chargers to boosting business growth and helping keep our streets safe.

Julian David, CEO, techUK said:

Today’s announcement is a welcome step from the UK government in putting wireless connectivity at the heart of local infrastructure deployment. We must empower more local authorities so that they can foster the greater use of advanced connectivity in their areas, helping unlock growth and innovation across the whole of the UK.

As techUK set out in our recent Tech Plan, we must give consumers the confidence to switch to electric vehicles to help overcome “range anxiety”, one of the major factors preventing greater uptake of EVs.

We hope these pilots can help other local areas realise the benefits that smart infrastructure promises.

The SIPP is designed to support the government’s Wireless Infrastructure Strategy, which sets out how the UK will put wireless connectivity at the heart of new and existing infrastructure, while driving private investment, boosting innovation, and unlocking new opportunities for economic growth.

The pilot programmes will begin from October 2023 and will run until 31 March 2025.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 20 September 2023.

UK and Israel agree Memorandum of Understanding for faster and deeper collaboration on science, innovation and technology.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 19 September 2023.

Online Safety Bill passes its final Parliamentary debate and is now ready to become law.

The Online Safety Bill has today (Tuesday 19 September) passed its final Parliamentary debate and is now ready to become law.

This major milestone means the government is within touching distance of delivering the most powerful child protection laws in a generation, while ensuring adults are better empowered to take control of their online lives, while protecting our mental health.

The bill takes a zero-tolerance approach to protecting children and makes sure social media platforms are held responsible for the content they host. If they do not act rapidly to prevent and remove illegal content and stop children seeing material that is harmful to them, such as bullying, they will face significant fines that could reach billions of pounds. In some cases, their bosses may even face prison.

The bill has undergone considerable parliamentary scrutiny in both the Houses and has come out with stronger protections for all.

Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said:

The Online Safety Bill is a game-changing piece of legislation. Today, this government is taking an enormous step forward in our mission to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online.

I am immensely proud of what we have achieved with this bill. Our common-sense approach will deliver a better future for British people, by making sure that what is illegal offline is illegal online. It puts protecting children first, enabling us to catch keyboard criminals and crack down on the heinous crimes they seek to commit.

I am deeply thankful to the tireless campaigning and efforts of parliamentarians, survivors of abuse and charities who have all worked relentlessly to get this bill to the finish line.

Without this groundbreaking legislation, the safety of children across the country would be at stake and the internet would remain a wild west of content, putting children’s lives and mental health at risk. The bill has a zero-tolerance approach to protecting children, meaning social media platforms will be legally responsible for the content they host and keeping children and young people safe online.

Social media platforms will be expected to:

• remove illegal content quickly or prevent it from appearing in the first place, including content promoting self-harm
• prevent children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content
• enforce age limits and age-checking measures
• ensure the risks and dangers posed to children on the largest social media platforms are more transparent, including by publishing risk assessments
• provide parents and children with clear and accessible ways to report problems online when they do arise

NSPCC Chief Executive, Sir Peter Wanless said:

We are absolutely delighted to see the Online Safety Bill being passed through Parliament. It is a momentous day for children and will finally result in the ground-breaking protections they should expect online.

At the NSPCC, we hear from children about the completely unacceptable levels of abuse and harm they face online every day. That’s why we have campaigned strongly for change alongside brave survivors, families, young people and parliamentarians to ensure the legislation results in a much safer online world for children.

Children can benefit greatly from life online. Tech companies can now seize the opportunity to embrace safety by design. The NSPCC is ready to help them listen to and understand the online experiences of their young users to help ensure every child feels safe and empowered online.

In addition to its firm protections for children, the bill empowers adults to take control of what they see online. It provides three layers of protection for internet users which will:

1. Make sure illegal content will have to be removed
2. Place a legal responsibility on social media platforms to enforce the promises they make to users when they sign up, through terms and conditions
3. Offer users the option to filter out harmful content, such as bullying, that they do not want to see online

If social media platforms do not comply with these rules, Ofcom could fine them up to £18 million or 10% of their global annual revenue, whichever is biggest – meaning fines handed down to the biggest platforms could reach billions of pounds.

Also added to the bill are new laws to decisively tackle online fraud and violence against women and girls. Through this legislation, it will be easier to convict someone who shares intimate images without consent and new laws will further criminalise the non-consensual sharing of intimate deepfakes.

The change in laws will make it easier to charge abusers who share intimate images and put more offenders behind bars and better protect the public. Those found guilty of this base offence have a maximum penalty of 6 months in custody.

Former Love Island star and campaigner Georgia Harrison said:

Violence against women and girls is so common, with one in three women in the UK having experienced online abuse or harassment.

The Online Safety bill is going to help bring this to an end, by holding social media companies accountable to protect women and girls from online abuse.

Under the bill, the biggest social media platforms will have to stop users being exposed to dangerous fraudulent adverts by blocking and removing scams, or face Ofcom’s huge new fines.

The government has recently strengthened the bill even further, by amending the law to force social media firms to prevent activity that facilitates animal cruelty and torture (such as paying or instructing torture). Even if this activity takes place outside the UK but is seen by users here, companies will be forced to take it down.

Anticipating the bill coming into force, the biggest social media companies have already started to take action. Snapchat has started removing the accounts of underage users and TikTok has implemented stronger age verification.

Ofcom Chief Executive, Dame Melanie Dawes said:

Today is a major milestone in the mission to create a safer life online for children and adults in the UK. Everyone at Ofcom feels privileged to be entrusted with this important role, and we’re ready to start implementing these new laws.

Very soon after the bill receives Royal Assent, we’ll consult on the first set of standards that we’ll expect tech firms to meet in tackling illegal online harms, including child sexual exploitation, fraud and terrorism.

While the bill has been in progress, the government has been working closely with Ofcom to ensure changes will be implemented as quickly as possible when it becomes law.

The regulator will immediately begin work on tackling illegal content and protecting children’s safety, with its consultation process launching in the weeks after Royal Assent. It will then take a phased approach to bringing the Online Safety Bill’s into force.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 19 September 2023.

Businesses across the UK will have the opportunity to showcase that their new AI and digital innovations comply with regulatory standards, so they can quickly bring them to market.

Organisations across the country will be able to demonstrate that their new artificial intelligence and digital innovations meet regulatory requirements so they can quickly bring them to market,

A new pilot scheme set to launch next year will see a number of regulators develop a multi-agency advice service providing tailored support to businesses so they can meet requirements across various sectors while safely innovating – including through innovative technologies such as AI.

Backed by over £2 million in UK government funding, the streamlined service is intended to make it easier for businesses to get the help they need, by bringing together the different regulators involved in the oversight of cross-cutting AI and digital technologies.

In turn, businesses will be able to take their new innovations to market responsibly and more quickly, helping to grow the UK’s economy.

Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said:

Digital technology and artificial intelligence are rapidly evolving, and regulation must keep pace – but we don’t want it to be at the expense of stifling the launch of new innovations that can improve our everyday lives.

While safety is at the heart of our approach to regulation here in the UK, this new service will help businesses navigate the process of making sure they are compliant – supporting safe and responsible innovation.

We are a nation that backs businesses both big and small, and we want to make sure that as they can quickly get to grips with rules and regulations around emerging technology.

With digital technologies such as artificial intelligence needing increasingly to demonstrate compliance with a range of regulatory regimes, there is a growing need for joined-up advice across the regulatory landscape. This pilot scheme will meet business demands for coordinated support and help innovators navigate regulations, so they can spend more time developing cutting edge new products.

The service will be run by members of the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum (DRCF), made up of the Information Commissioner’s Office, Ofcom, the Competition and Markets Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority, and known as DRCF AI and Digital Hub.

The Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum came together as a voluntary collaboration in 2019, launching formally in 2020, and works to explore emerging regulatory issues which cut across the remits of the four regulators with the goal of making it easier for industry to comply with multiple regulatory regimes.

The trial is expected to last around a year, and will assess industry take up, service feasibility and how innovators are interacting with it. Innovators and businesses requiring advice will be invited to apply in due course with the DRCF expected to run a competition for innovators to outline where they need support from regulators to ensure innovative new technologies comply with cross-cutting regulatory regimes. Successful applications will be selected against criteria agreed jointly by regulators and the department.

Today’s announcement delivers on other commitments made as part of the government’s AI Regulation white paper, including the establishment of a central AI risk function within government. Over the last few months, the government has moved quickly to set up the central risk function within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). It will identify, measure and monitor existing and emerging AI risks using expertise from across government, industry, and academia – with a specific focus on exploring the regulatory risks of foundation models and frontier AI.

In addition, the government is working with UK regulators on how they might need to regulate the technology given its cross-cutting nature and impact on various sectors – many have already started work on this from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to the Office for Nuclear Regulation. Only yesterday, the Competition and Markets Authority published it’s initial review of AI Foundation Models, which set out the opportunities and risks which foundation models could bring for competition and consumer protection.

Earlier this year the UK government committed to a multiple regulator sandbox, which helps organisations work with regulators to understand how their products interact with different regulatory regimes. Today’s announcement delivers on this, in recognition of the importance of AI innovations that have implications in multiple sectors such as generative AI models, with the potential to expand its capability to cover multiple industry sectors over time.

On 1 and 2 November the UK will host the first major global AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park, building consensus on rapid, international action to advance safety at the cutting edge of AI technology. It will bring together key countries, as well as leading technology organisations, academia and civil society to inform rapid national and international action at the frontier of artificial intelligence development.

The summit will focus on risks created or significantly exacerbated by the most powerful AI systems, particularly those associated with the potentially dangerous capabilities of these systems. For example, this would include the proliferation of access to information which could undermine biosecurity. The summit will also focus on how safe AI can be used for public good and to improve people’s lives – from lifesaving medical technology to safer transport.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 14 September 2023.

Sporting venues and tourism hotspots will see trials of new mobile tech to increase the resilience of the UK mobile network, thanks to £88 million of UK government R&D investment in innovative connectivity.

Iconic sporting venues and tourism hotspots across the UK will see trials of new mobile tech designed to increase the resilience of the UK mobile network and ensure we are not overly reliant on any one form of technology, thanks to £88 million of UK government R&D investment in innovative connectivity.

The 19 successful projects in the Open Networks Ecosystem (ONE) Competition will demonstrate the reliability and feasibility of Open Radio Access Network (RAN) technologies and showcase their role in delivering resilient and future-proofed connectivity to UK citizens and businesses.

The ONE competition helps deliver on the UK’s ambition to be a global leader in telecoms research and development, through investment in cutting-edge open hardware and software.

The funding will enable the successful projects to develop and demonstrate a range of innovative technological solutions to improve connectivity in places with some of the biggest demand on mobile services. This includes busy locations like cities, airports, stadiums, or large venues where many people use their devices simultaneously, posing a challenge for mobile networks to handle high levels of traffic.

The ONE competition was designed to demonstrate how this new way of building mobile networks can deliver fast, dependable connectivity in busy places where many people need wireless connections. Instead of using only one company’s equipment, Open RAN enables different companies’ technology to work together, which can make the network better and more flexible.

The projects will initiate trials of open 5G networks across the country, in:

• major urban centres in Glasgow, Cambridge, Liverpool, Bath, and the City of London
• iconic sports and entertainment venues including Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Sunderland’s Stadium of Light, the National eSport Arena, Cambridge Corn Exchange, and Shelsley Walsh motorsport venue
• the historic seaside resorts of Blackpool and Worthing

Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure Sir John Whittingdale said:

Whether you’re in a busy city centre or a rural village, a fast and reliable mobile connection is vital to staying in touch, accessing services and doing business.

In order to secure that, we need to embrace a diverse and secure range of technology that will underpin the network.

The projects we’re backing today with £88 million in government research and development investment will use innovative Open RAN solutions to make our mobile networks more adaptable and resilient, with future-proofed technology to support bringing lightning-fast connections across the country for many years to come.

Running until March 2025, the projects are part of the government’s Open Networks Research and Development Fund, dedicated to building secure and resilient communications infrastructure and enhancing competition and innovation within the 5G telecoms supply chain. The full list of successful projects can be found here.

In a further boost to telecoms supply chain resilience and diversification, major mobile network operators – BT/EE, Three UK, Virgin Media O2, and Vodafone have endorsed the UK’s Open RAN Principles.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) reaffirms the ambition for 35% of the UK’s network traffic to pass through open and interoperable Radio Access Network (RAN) technologies by 2030.

Hamish MacLeod, Chief Executive of Mobile UK:

The development of open and interoperable RAN solutions is important to the UK’s mobile industry. This announcement highlights Mobile UK’s member operator’s ongoing R&D trial and deployment programmes, helping progress solutions to realise ambitions to grow traffic over open RAN architecture.

Nick Johnson, Head of UK Telecoms Innovation Network (UKTIN) said:

The government’s funding to tackle adoption barriers of open mobile networks is another significant contribution to the telecoms industry, and once again highlights the important role the sector plays in driving connectivity and economic growth in the UK.

Building a diversified telecoms infrastructure in the UK is crucial to unlocking opportunities for growth and creating a prosperous future. The projects announced today, in support of that mission, will both deliver exciting innovations and consider how to overcome some of the tricky but important challenges to wide-scale deployments.

This announcement coincides with Vodafone’s recent start of Open RAN equipment installation at 2,500 sites in Wales and the South-West of England.