Tag: Department for Science Innovation and Technology

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 21 October 2025.

A new blueprint for AI regulation is being announced by the Technology Secretary today (Tuesday 21st October) to help drive innovation and growth.

• AI Growth Labs will unlock new ways to accelerate innovation and cut bureaucracy in a safe environment
• More new homes, better outcomes for patients, and world-leading innovations for professional services among potential wins for the public
• This new approach to regulation will help drive forward growth and national renewal under the government’s Plan for Change

More new homes, better outcomes for patients, and world-leading innovations are among the benefits people can expect to see from a new blueprint for AI regulation being announced today, as the government slashes bureaucracy and ramps up the safe adoption of AI to unlock its full potential.  

At the Times Tech Summit today (21st October), the Technology Secretary will announce plans to look at how companies and innovators can test new AI products in real-world conditions, with some rules and regulations temporarily relaxed under strict supervision.

Known as sandboxes, individual regulations are temporarily switched off or tweaked for a limited period of time in safe, controlled testing environments. They would initially be set up for key sectors of the economy like healthcare, professional services, transport, and the use of robotics in advanced manufacturing, to accelerate the responsible development and deployment of AI products.

The announcement comes as the Chancellor also details progress made towards delivering on the government’s vision for a regulatory system that better supports growth and innovation. At today’s Regional Investment Summit, the Chancellor will announce a range of pro-growth reforms that will help deliver that vision set out March’s Regulation Action Plan, including a plan to save businesses across the country nearly £6 billion a year by 2029 by cracking down on pointless admin tasks.

AI applications hold the potential to make the lives of citizens better, faster. The AI Growth Lab will pilot responsible AI which can otherwise be held back by certain regulation, and generate real-world evidence for the impact they can deliver. This will ramp up adoption of AI and deliver opportunities for people across the country, cutting bureaucracy that can choke innovation and supporting businesses to flourish to deliver tangible national renewal.

For example, a testing ground focused on building AI tools could support health workers deliver better patient care on an accelerated timeline. This would also help reduce NHS waiting lists and time demands on frontline NHS staff, as well as ensure that public services are working around the lives of the British public.

Currently, a typical housing development application racks up 4,000 pages of documentation and takes as long as 18 months from submission to approval. By reviewing regulations to explore how AI could support officials, those times could be slashed – speeding up decision making and putting the government’s plans to build 1.5 million new homes by the end of the current Parliament in the fast lane.

Close working between businesses and regulators are already delivering transformations for the public. A sandbox led by the Information Commissioner’s Office has supported age verification company Yoti to fine tune their age estimation technology to help keep young people safe online, while another trial has helped FlyingBinary to develop online services which support mental health patients.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said:

To deliver national renewal, we need to overhaul the old approaches which have stifled enterprise and held back our innovators. 

We want to remove the needless red tape that slows progress so we can drive growth and modernise the public services people rely on every day. 

This isn’t about cutting corners – it’s about fast-tracking responsible innovations that will improve lives and deliver real benefits.

In a further push to unlock benefits for the wider public through AI, a pot of £1 million is being set aside to support the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to pilot AI-assisted tools. These would support scientific expertise, speed up drug discovery and clinical trial assessments, and licensing to improve efficiency and consistency – while keeping all decisions firmly in human hands.   

The continued safe and responsible development of AI would be central to the government’s plans for its proposed AI Growth Lab. It would not be a testing ground where regulations could be switched on or switched off at will, but would see strict, time limited restrictions being put in place to set out which specific regulatory hurdles could be avoided or modified under close supervision.  

It will be overseen by tech and regulatory experts and backed up by a strict licensing scheme with strong safeguards, meaning any breaches of individual agreements, or the emergence of unacceptable risks would stop testing in its tracks and open users who have breached their terms up to potential fines. 

While this would mark new ground in terms of AI, other regulatory testing grounds have already been put to effective use across the economy.  

The Digital Securities Sandbox for example is helping finance firms and innovators by giving them the ability to test innovative tech solutions for some of the most urgent challenges in the financial sector. It is helping to deliver a more secure and efficient financial system by focusing on Distributed Ledger Technology, which creates a single bank of data on financial transactions to speed up efficiencies and help tackle fraud. 

Internationally, countries are already using sandboxes to speed safe deployment. Jurisdictions such as the EU, USA, Japan, Estonia and Singapore have announced or implemented some form of regulatory sandbox for AI. The UK pioneered the global sandbox model with the launch of the FCA’s 2016 fintech sandbox – with transformative AI approaching, the UK must stay at the vanguard of international best practice in regulatory innovation – and the benefits this brings for UK innovation and jobs. 

The government will now move ahead with a public call for views on its AI Growth Lab proposals. At the heart of that process will be considerations over whether the programme should be run in-house by the government, or overseen by regulators themselves. 

The adoption of AI is the defining economic opportunity of the coming decade, but currently only 21% of UK firms are using the technology. The OECD currently estimates that AI could improve UK productivity by as much as 1.3 percentage points every year – worth the equivalent of £140 billion. The AI Growth Lab will provide a route to test and pilot responsible AI innovations hindered by regulation – driving AI adoption and economic growth.

Further Information

Exclusions from the sandbox would include consumer protection and safety provisions, fundamental rights, workers’ protections and intellectual property rights.

Industry and stakeholder reaction

David Wakeling, Head of AI, A&O Shearman, said:

This call for evidence contemplates an agile approach to regulation, removing red-tape where it serves no purpose and breaking down silos between regulators.  These steps will be crucial for UK businesses, investors and capital providers to stay globally competitive in the AI race.

Leo Ringer, Partner, Form Ventures, said:

This is a strong signal of ambition to ensure the UK is a world leading place to start and scale an AI business. Existing regulatory frameworks weren’t created with AI in mind, and the sheer pace of tech progress means it’s no surprise that they risk slowing down innovation and adoption. 

We have incredible talent and growing amounts of capital for AI startups in the UK – flexible, pro-innovation regulation is the third ingredient we need to really unlock investment and growth.

Luther Lowe, Head of Public Policy, Y Combinator, said:

The AI Growth Lab addresses a critical challenge: enabling AI startups to launch innovative products without waiting years for regulatory clarity.

For Y Combinator companies, faster time to market matters—and if the Lab delivers on its promise while maintaining appropriate oversight, it sets a strong model for how governments can keep pace with AI innovation.

Paul Murphy, General Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, said:

As investors in many of the world’s leading AI labs, we know regulatory speed impacts where breakthrough companies scale. The UK can be a major player in this race with fast, fair, and globally competitive sandbox access.

Vinous Ali, Deputy Executive Director at Start-Up Coalition:

Startup Coalition has long campaigned for a cross-economy sandbox to help speed up startups’ route to market. The UK has historic strengths in sandboxing and this latest proposal takes it into the future helping bring regulators and businesses together to collaborate in a nimble and open way. 

It is great to see government take a leaf out of the startup manual by adjusting their risk appetite to win the race.

Vishal Marria, Founder and CEO, Quantexa, said:

The UK has an incredible foundation in AI research and innovation, and to truly unlock its economic and societal potential, we need to accelerate how ideas are turned into reality to make tangible impact. An AI Growth Lab has the potential to provide the bridge between world-class research and real-world application, helping organizations of all sizes adopt AI responsibly, confidently, and at scale. 

By combining trusted data, contextual understanding, and collaboration across industry, academia, and government as part of its broader set of strategic AI initiatives, the UK will continue to position itself as a world leader in turning AI from promise into performance.

Antony Walker, Deputy CEO at TechUK, said:

TechUK welcomes the launch of AI Growth Lab, which represents a strong, positive step towards a pro-growth regulatory approach that will help companies to safely develop, scale, and deploy AI in key sectors of the UK economy. 

If we get this right, the AI Growth Lab can add real value by drawing on learnings from existing AI sandboxes and working closely with AI businesses to deliver tangible results and deliver real-world impact.

Finn Stevenson, CEO at Flok Heathcare, said:

The potential for AI to transform healthcare is enormously exciting, but good regulation is required to ensure that these novel technologies are safe and effective for patients. As we’ve shown with our Class IIa medical device clearance for AI physiotherapy, it is absolutely possible to certify products like this, but many more innovations could get to market faster if the rules were modernised for a software-driven world. 

Regulators like the MHRA, and the notified bodies that assess AI products on their behalf, currently have the unenviable task of applying rules designed for physical products to advanced software systems that are radically different than anything that existed when the regulations were written. In revisiting those regulations, the AI Growth Lab is a valuable opportunity to make the UK a global destination for healthcare AI.

Dr Hammad Jeilani, Medical Director and Co-Founder, Apian, said:

Apian is helping the NHS focus on what matters most: humans caring for humans. 

Our AI-powered autonomous robots increase productivity and cut costs – handling routine logistics so healthcare staff can dedicate more time to patient care. A cross-economy sandbox will let innovators like Apian safely test and scale these systems, making NHS logistics invisible, resilient and truly patient-centred.

Rafie Faruq, Co-Founder & CEO at Genie, said:

Genie has built the autonomous legal department for businesses by enabling them to create their personalised legal agents that can auto-draft, negotiate and review legal documents and deals. In one recent case, Cambridge Utd Football Club signed the first ever football player through Genie AI without a lawyer. But providing AI-generated legal advice, particularly for regulated legal areas like securities, employment, or housing – may constitute unauthorised practice of law.

The AI Growth Lab would allow Genie to trial an autonomous legal agent in live commercial environments. We believe this sandbox could be transformative – both in reducing startup costs and helping UK businesses scale faster through AI-enabled contracting.

Andrew Bennett, Centre for British Progress, said:

Britain must move quickly to grow and secure our stake in the next industrial revolution. Yet too often, economic opportunities and British startups are held back by regulatory bottlenecks. 

The AI Growth Lab can provide a safe, accelerated pathway for using AI to deliver better outcomes across the country.

Karl Havard, Chief Commercial Officer, Nscale, said:

Nscale is super supportive of the AI Growth Labs. The creation of safe sandbox environments will be a much needed catalyst to develop and test new products and services that will directly benefit the people of the UK. 

It’s great to see the UK government leading the way on such an initiative, and Nscale is looking forward to playing a supporting role in making this a reality.

Nigel Toon, Graphcore founder, said:

Graphcore welcomes the launch of the AI Growth Lab as a means of encouraging innovators to push the boundaries of this transformative technology. 

We hope that the UK’s forward-looking approach to AI will drive AI adoption and deliver the same sort of success stories that the financial technology regulatory sandbox did in the past.

Michael Sellitto, Head of Global Affairs, Anthropic, said:

We are really encouraged the UK government is looking in this direction, to create space for experimentation and promote innovation.

Hugh Milward, Vice President External Affairs, Microsoft, said:

Widespread AI diffusion across the economy is fundamental to delivering the UK’s economic growth ambition and we welcome the government’s continued progress on the AI Opportunities Plan towards this goal. 

The AI Growth Lab is an interesting and creative initiative to provide the flexible regulatory approach that will support faster UK AI innovation and we look forward to hearing more.

Matthew Wright, Head of U.K., Delian Alliance Industries, said:

AI and autonomous systems will be integral to the future of defence and civil protection, but startups leveraging these technologies face considerable regulatory barriers today. 

We therefore welcome the AI Growth Lab’s ambition to minimise these hurdles. In doing so, the Lab will help such startups to drive economic growth while enhancing national security.

Dr. Tim Bazalgette, Chief AI Officer at Darktrace, said:

Darktrace welcomes the government’s ambition for monitored AI sandboxes. 

Allowing innovators to test transformative applications of AI in safe conditions and demonstrate that they have genuine real-world value will help to accelerate the deployment of effective AI solutions across critical areas of the British economy, supporting the public good and driving growth.

Jon J. Paull, COO, Octopus Energy Group, said:

At Octopus, we’ve shown how responsible AI can supercharge innovation, from forecasting renewable generation to transforming customer service.  

Outdated rules can too often slow progress so we welcome government’s proposal for an AI Growth Lab, a safe, collaborative space where UK innovators and regulators can test responsibly, and evolve the frameworks that govern new technology.

Aidan Gomez, Co-Founder and CEO, Cohere, said:

Today’s announcement will accelerate the speed that AI can improve people’s lives, especially in critical, regulated areas like healthcare. 

The UK government’s leadership on policies that enable quick, but responsible, development and deployment of transformative, cutting edge technology is why Cohere has consistently invested in the country since our founding.

Nik Storonsky, CEO and Co-Founder, Revolut, said: 

 >Accelerating AI adoption is critical for the UK banking sector and the entire economy. This initiative will give innovators like Revolut the clarity and speed we need to build and deploy groundbreaking AI services, reinforcing the UK’s leadership and delivering real value to millions of customers.

Dr Marc Warner, CEO and founder, Faculty AI said:

The UK AI sector is growing 30 times faster than the rest of the economy and has world-leading companies – yet there are no guarantees the next DeepMind will found and grow here.

If ministers want more domestic AI success stories, they must make conscious choices today about how they support our start ups and scale ups.

Removing red tape to allow safe testing and iterating of AI products is a welcome step in backing the sector to build the faster, cheaper, more efficient public services we need.

Max Jamilly, co-founder and CEO, Hoxton Farms, said:

At Hoxton Farms, we’ve seen both sides of the innovation equation. Our AI-enabled control software for manufacturing biologic medicines is held back by outdated AI rules, yet our positive experience in the FSA’s Cell Cultivated Products Sandbox for Novel Foods shows that forward-thinking regulation can unlock markets and accelerate new technology.

Sandboxes work: they enable fast, efficient collaboration between innovators and policymakers while minimising risk. Pragmatic and efficient rules for AI will help to turn UK start-ups into global leaders.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 16 October 2025.

The government’s AI tool Consult analysed 50,000+ responses to the Independent Water Commission review in 2 hours, matching human accuracy and potentially saving 75,000 days of manual work each year.

• AI tool built by the UK government sped up analysis of over 50,000 responses to a government-commissioned review of the water sector. 
• Named ‘Consult’, the tool was found to be at least as accurate and reliable as humans.
• The tool could ultimately help save 75,000 days of manual analysis which is currently slowing down policy action across government every year.

Specialist AI tech built by the UK government helped to speed up the government’s decision to abolish Ofwat.

The simple task of sorting over 50,000 responses into key themes made the Independent Water Commission (IWC) analysis more efficient and effective. The AI tool categorised responses into themes in around 2 hours, costing £240 and experts only needed 22 hours to check the results.

It meant policy experts could focus on using themes and categorised responses to inform recommendations for their independent report, rather than sorting tens of thousands of individual responses.

Alongside the AI-assisted thematic analysis, the team also completed detailed manual reviews of responses from stakeholders to ensure their perspectives were thoroughly considered.

The work of ‘Consult’ was compared to 2 groups of experts. It agreed with one or both of the groups almost 83% of the time, while the 2 well-practiced human groups only agreed with each other 55% of the time.

Earlier in the year the tool successfully supported the analysis of the Scottish government’s consultation on non-surgical cosmetics. It has been confirmed that it was also used to sort responses to the Digital Inclusion Action Plan. With 800 people responding to the ‘call for evidence’, the technology was accurate and sped up the government’s ability to find initial results.

The technology, part of ‘Humphrey’, will analyse other consultations responses in a bid to save officials from 75,000 days of manual analysis every year, which costs £20 million in staffing costs. This will help to create a more agile, effective state refocused on delivering Plan for Change.

Digital Government Minister Ian Murray said:

This shows the huge potential for technology and AI to deliver better and more efficient public services for the public and provide better value for the taxpayer.

By taking on the basic admin, Consult is giving staff time to focus on what matters – taking action to fix public services. In the process, it could save the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Another tool in the ‘Humphrey’ suite, called ‘Redbox’, helped 5,330 officials at its peak work more efficiently – with the technology helping them to summarise long documents, draft briefing notes and more.

Since it was introduced, major tech companies have started to provide tools that give officials a secure way to use large language models that are integrated into IT systems they are already using, for example, Microsoft Copilot. Often, these come as part of existing software deals between the government and technology companies.

For example, a recent trial of Microsoft Copilot found that the technology could save officials 2 weeks every year. As a result, engineers in the team are developing new tools, such as those identified by the Prime Minister as ‘AI Exemplars’ which aim to speed up planning decisions to help build homes, help probation officers have more impactful engagements with offenders, and more.

As a result, development on Redbox will not continue, though it has now been open-sourced. The engineers that built the tool have gone on to use their knowledge to build other technology in the ‘Humphrey’ suite and also shared information that was used to build GOV.UK Chat, the generative AI chatbot that will soon be trialled in the GOV.UK App.

Notes to editors

The evaluation of Consult on the Independent Water Commission call for views shows that it secured an F1 score (a common measure of alignment for AI tools) of 0.79 and 0.82. This is higher than the F1 score between human reviewers (0.74), and shows an increase from 0.76 when the technology was used on the Scottish government consultation, which received fewer responses (2,000). There are 2 F1 figures since there were 2 groups of reviewers that Consult was compared to. They’ve reported the individual scores for both groups.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 13 October 2025.

Building Digital UK will be integrated into the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 1 November 2025.

As of 1 November 2025 the executive agency responsible for improving broadband and mobile coverage in hard-to-reach parts of the UK, Building Digital UK (BDUK), will be integrated into the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). This update is part of the Government-wide review of arms length bodies launched in April.

BDUK will continue to deliver its important work as it becomes a directorate of the department and there are no changes to BDUK contracts as a result. Contractors currently working with BDUK do not need to take any action.

The government remains fully committed to BDUK’s programmes, Project Gigabit and the Shared Rural Network, with £1.9 billion allocated for their delivery at the last Spending Review. The success of BDUK’s work to date means the UK has already met previous targets of 85% gigabit coverage and 95% 4G coverage a year early. The government recently reconfirmed its commitment to achieving nationwide gigabit coverage and now expects 99% of premises to have access to a gigabit-capable connection by 2032.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 6 October 2025.

• Local areas can now bid for support of up to £20 million each in government funding to grow existing regional science and tech expertise
• Investment will back local leaders who know their regions best, unlocking discoveries and creating hundreds of jobs as part of record £86 billion R&D settlement
• Builds on support already earmarked to local leaders in ten UK areas through Local Innovation Partnerships Fund – driving regional growth through Plan for Change

Local leaders across the country can now bid for support of up to £20 million each in a new competition, as the government backs regional expertise to deliver cutting-edge research that could save lives and create jobs (Monday 6 October).

Research funding body UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is inviting a broad range of local and regional partnerships to bid for government funding to support research and innovation projects in their area through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund. The competition will back partnerships that can turn existing research breakthroughs into practical solutions that create jobs and improve people’s lives, supporting the government’s Plan for Change.

The fund is designed to help regions across the UK build on their existing strengths – whether that is developing technology that helps doctors diagnose diseases faster, creating cleaner transport solutions, or discovering innovations that spawn entirely new industries.

Local leaders, working alongside universities and businesses, are best placed to identify these regional opportunities and turn research breakthroughs into real-world solutions that benefit their communities.

Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said:

This fund is our Plan for Change in action. It empowers local leaders, researchers, and businesses with skin in the game to deliver transformational research that creates jobs and improves lives in their area.

Ten regions already have our support and will be able to deliver game-changing innovations to benefit their communities.

Now we’re extending this opportunity to the rest of the country, and I encourage partnerships everywhere to come forward, and show how they can unlock their local expertise to create tomorrow’s innovations.

Consortiums of various forms are encouraged to apply, to ensure regions across the length and breadth of the UK are supported to develop new innovations and drive regional growth.

Ten regions across the UK have already received backing through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund. These include established innovation hubs in England such as Greater Manchester, West Midlands, and West Yorkshire, alongside Glasgow City Region in Scotland, Cardiff Capital Region in Wales, and an innovation corridor linking Belfast and Derry-Londonderry in Northern Ireland. Each of these areas has been earmarked for at least £30 million to invest in their regional innovation strengths, from advanced manufacturing and life sciences to digital technologies and clean energy, ensuring every nation of the UK benefits from this major government investment in R&D.

This approach builds on the successful Innovation Accelerators programme, which has already brought in more than £140 million of private investment and created hundreds of jobs. Greater Manchester teams are helping detect heart and lung diseases more quickly and cheaply, while Glasgow researchers are working to spot signs of colon cancer earlier to save lives. This shows how researchers, businesses and local leaders can work together to tackle the country’s biggest challenges while boosting local economies.

This funding forms part of the record £86 billion R&D settlement until 2030 and represents a key pillar of the government’s modern Industrial Strategy, supporting high-growth sectors in every region. For areas ready to unlock their innovation potential, this competition offers a transformative opportunity to secure the partnerships and investment needed to drive growth and improve lives across the country.

Notes to editors

UKRI will run a 2-stage selection process to identify the most promising partnerships.

Interested areas can submit expressions of interest and find out more about the eligibility criteria. UKRI will then work with shortlisted partnerships to co-develop detailed proposals that demonstrate how they can turn research into real-world solutions. An independent assessment panel will evaluate applications based on their potential for economic impact, strength of local partnerships, and alignment with national priorities.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 2 October 2025.

The Science Minister, Lord Vallance gave a speech at British Venture Capital Association (BVCA) Pensions and Private Capital Showcase on 2 October 2025.

Thanks of course to the BVCA which has been a constructive partner to government including through its Pensions & Private Capital Expert Panel, led by Kerry Baldwin, and its work to launch the Investment Compact. I want to recognise your role, particularly in keeping this conversation practical and action orientated.

And I want to be clear, now is the time for action. 

It is encouraging to see so many pension investors here. As someone said to me recently, Canadian pensioners have done very well out of investing in UK science and technology companies. We need to do the same for UK pensioners.  

35 years ago in Cambridge, a small team at Acorn Computers created a revolutionary processor design. That innovation became Arm. From a handful of engineers, the business grew into a world leader whose designs power 99 per cent of the world’s smartphones. Arm began in the UK, built on British science and ingenuity – but much of the capital that fuelled its growth came from overseas, and today its primary listing is on NASDAQ in New York.  

There are many other examples of exciting, impactful UK companies doing fantastic work, to which UK investors are underexposed.  

Arm’s story captures both our strengths and our challenge: world-class research and innovation, home to 4 of the world’s top ten universities, great talent, and now more startups than anywhere else in Europe. 

But still too little domestic capital to take enough of our exciting innovation engines to global scale. Today’s Showcase is about changing that. 

We meet at an exciting time. The UK is Europe’s leading destination for tech investment, and we are serious about commercialising and scaling our research. Our Modern Industrial Strategy, with 8 Sector Plans:

• Advanced Manufacturing
• Clean Energy Industries
• Creative Industries
• Defence
• Digital and Technologies
• Financial Services
• Life Sciences
• Professional and Business Services

provides the framework. 

And as many people have said to me – unlike previous industrial strategies you don’t need to look in the appendix to find science and technology. It is woven throughout every part and every sector plan. 

All underpinned by smarter investment from our public financial institutions, pro-innovation regulation, stronger procurement signals, an excellent talent and skills pipeline, and by deep partnerships with business and investors.  

The UK ranks third globally for venture capital investment, behind only the US and China, yet has produced only 2 tech firms valued at over £10 billion in the last 50 years — Sage and Arm. But many many more UK inventions and startups have fed growth elsewhere. 

I want to be clear. Unlocking more pension fund investment is central to our mission. This is not just about returns — although it will help deliver greater returns. It is also about fuelling the innovation that underpins UK competitiveness: boosting productivity, strengthening the NHS, advancing defence capability, accelerating the clean energy transition, and scaling UK leadership in life sciences, AI, fintech and sustainability.  

Of course, the UK has deep pools of institutional capital, yet only a fraction reaches our most promising growth companies. UK DC schemes allocate about 0.5% to private equity. By contrast, Australian superannuation funds invest up to 5% in private markets.   

And we know that the proportion of UK capital invested in S&T companies drops dramatically from seed funding through to scale up. 

But – and many thanks to many in this room – we are making progress.  

The Mansion House Accord, the Investment Compact and the BVCA’s Expert Panel’s report have provided structure and ambition, and government has provided capital and support through initiatives such as the British Growth Partnership and LIFTS. Using LIFTS capital and co-investment from Phoenix Group, Schroders’ UK Long-Term Asset Fund has already deployed capital into companies such as Draig Therapeutics working on next generation medicines for neuropsychiatric disorders.  

We’ve seen strong venture inflows – over $16 billion invested into UK start-ups and scale-ups last year, and more than $8 billion raised in the first half of 2025, exceeding France and Germany combined. But IPO activity has fallen sharply: in H1 2025 just £160 million was raised via IPOs in London – a 98 per cent drop compared to H1 2021 and one of the weakest periods in 3 decades – while overseas investors continue to acquire leading UK technology companies, and benefit from the innovation we have developed here.   

So, the challenge is clear: great science, fantastic people, strong early-stage funding – but still too many barriers at scale-up and sustainability.  

That is why we are reforming the UK’s capital markets to ensure high-growth companies can scale and stay here. We are streamlining listing and prospectus rules, removing outdated restrictions on follow-on capital, and have launched PISCES – a new stock-exchange model to help private companies scale and provide a stepping-stone to public markets. 

It is beginning to work but we need to go faster. We get more spin outs and startups every month and every day we don’t fix the scale up deficit we increase the lost opportunity. 

We are pushing better regulation, including through the work of the Regulatory Innovation Office which has cleared away barriers in 4 technology areas and will expand its work over the next year. 

 We are reforming procurement to enable government to be a better customer for innovative SMEs and leveraging public capital through the National Wealth Fund and the British Business Bank.  

• We have committed £670 million for quantum technologies; £500 million for the Sovereign AI Unit; AI Growth Zones; and invested in computing infrastructure for AI.  
• The Life Sciences Sector Plan will be supported over the lifetime of the Spending Review by government funding of over £2 billion. Alongside the Wellcome trust we will invest £600M in creating the Health Data Research Service to utilise our extraordinary data resources to improve treatments, prevention and cures.  
• Defence will commit a £2.5 billion increase in SME spend by 2028.  
• In clean energy and sustainability we will double investment to £30 billion annually by 2035, including ambitious plans for new nuclear technologies 

Today’s Showcase represents the next phase of that work: connecting pension industry representatives with high-growth companies across defence, life sciences, AI and fintech, cleantech and sustainability.  

Yes – there are good things to invest in, and plenty of them. 

And to support that journey I’m pleased to announce that we have published the second edition of the UK Innovation Clusters Map. This gives a clearer, more comprehensive view of our innovation clusters across the UK and is a practical tool to help investors identify the strongest opportunities. We are pushing the rapid development of the extraordinary Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor and the opportunities of the Northern Growth Corridor. 

Arm’s story shows what is possible: a British idea, scaled to global impact.  

Rather than rely solely on overseas capital, we want domestic investment to back the next generation of UK success stories. If we unlock more of our own long-term savings to support UK innovation, the next Arm, the next AstraZeneca, the next Rolls Royce, the next Oxford Nanopore can emerge and be sustainable. Investors and pensions will share in the returns, the NHS will get better treatments faster, and Britain will cement its position as the best place in Europe to scale a company.  

That is the prize before us. But we need to move fast. If you didn’t feel the weight of expectation on your shoulders before you entered the room, I hope you do now.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 8 September 2025.

Vulnerable people across the UK will be shielded from the most dangerous content online, as new laws are set to be introduced to prevent devastating self-harm material from reaching people of all ages.

The government has today (8 September) announced urgent action to toughen the Online Safety Act by putting stricter legal requirements on tech companies to hunt down and remove material that encourages or assists serious self-harm, before it can destroy lives and tear families apart.

While platforms already have to take specific steps to protect children from this dangerous self-harm content, the government recognises that adults battling mental health challenges are equally at risk from exposure to material that could trigger a mental health crisis or worse.

The new regulations mean that content encouraging or assisting serious self-harm will be treated as a priority offence for all users.

The change will trigger the strongest possible legal protections, compelling platforms to use cutting-edge technology to actively seek out and eliminate this content before it can reach users and cause irreparable harm, rather than simply reacting after someone has already been exposed to it.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said:

This government is determined to keep people safe online. Vile content that promotes self-harm continues to be pushed on social media and can mean potentially heart-wrenching consequences for families across the country.

Our enhanced protections will make clear to social media companies that taking immediate steps to keep users safe from toxic material that could be the difference between life and death is not an option, but the law.

Julie Bentley, Chief Executive of Samaritans, said:

We welcome these efforts to make the Online Safety Act go further to protect both adults and children from dangerous self-harm content. While the internet can be a source of support for people who are struggling, damaging suicide and self-harm content can cost people their lives.

It’s therefore vital that government continues to take opportunities to strengthen the Act and it’s over to Ofcom now to use their powers to hold platforms to account so we can save more lives lost to suicide.

Notes to editors

The regulations will come into force 21 days after they are made, following approval by both Houses of Parliament. We expect this Statutory Instrument (SI) to be laid in the autumn.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 20 August 2025.

UK Space Agency to join the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology by April 2026, helping to streamline support for the UK’s growing space industry.

People and businesses across the UK will benefit from new changes that will see the UK Space Agency become part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) – cutting duplication, reducing bureaucracy, and putting public accountability at the heart of decision-making.

In a major step to boost support for the UK’s space sector, the change will bring together the people who shape space policy and those who deliver it. This will cut any duplication that exists and ensure decisions are made with clear ministerial oversight.

Taking place by April 2026, the new unit will keep the UK Space Agency (UKSA) name and brand and will be staffed by experts from both organisations. This will drive up efficiency in line with the government’s Plan for Change, cutting red tape and making Whitehall more agile.

Today also sees the publication of over 60 recommendations from industry leaders on how to improve regulation for space missions, including Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) – where spacecraft work together in orbit. These missions are key to unlocking a future market worth £2.7 billion by 2031 (according to the UKspace IOSM Priorities Paper), and the UK is well placed to lead the way. It is a prime example of the joined-up working that will benefit from the merge of UKSA into DSIT.

With the right support, UK space firms could capture a quarter of the global market for in-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing. This will help to clean up space, extend the life of satellites, and build new infrastructure above Earth.

Every Arms Length Body across government is being reviewed with a view to rooting out unnecessary bureaucracy and duplication, and to put public accountability first. Ministers have already announced that NHS England, the largest quango in the world, will be abolished as part of this process.

Space Minister Sir Chris Bryant said:

You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to see the importance of space to the British economy. This is a sector that pulls investment into the UK, and supports tens of thousands of skilled jobs right across the country, while nearly a fifth of our GDP is dependent on satellites. The aims for growth and security at the heart of our Plan for Change can’t be met without a vibrant space sector.

Bringing things in house means we can bring much greater integration and focus to everything we are doing while maintaining the scientific expertise and the immense ambition of the sector.

UK Space Agency CEO Dr Paul Bate said:

I strongly welcome this improved approach to achieving the government’s space ambitions. Having a single unit with a golden thread through strategy, policy and delivery will make it faster and easier to translate the nation’s space goals into reality.

In coming together, the UK Space Agency and space policy colleagues are building on the firm foundations of economic growth and capability development laid in recent years, including cutting-edge missions, major national programmes, and the regulations that enable UK launch and leadership in space sustainability.

We will continue to deliver, while reducing duplication and ensuring we work even more closely with Ministers to support the UK space sector, and the country.

The UK Space Agency was founded in 2010 and currently operates as an executive agency of DSIT. It catalysed investment and revenue of at least £2.2 billion for the UK space sector in 2024/2025. DSIT and the Agency will continue to work closely together over the coming months to support the UK space sector and ensure a smooth transition to the new arrangements. Further practical details on the merger will be announced in due course.

This RPO Sandbox report has been delivered by 3 firms with leading expertise in the field: Astroscale, ClearSpace and D-Orbit, working in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority, the UK Space Agency and DSIT. Publishing the Stage 1 Report on the Regulatory Sandbox for Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) delivers a key recommendation from the Space Regulatory Review and further demonstrates the strength of the sandbox model to support wider innovation, taking advantage of these safe spaces for establishing ‘what works’ for regulating cutting-edge new technologies.

By tackling bottlenecks and uncertainties that UK firms in this field and beyond currently face, and ensuring regulation keeps up with the fast pace of innovation in this area, we will help encourage investment in nascent space activities like space junk removal, in-orbit refuelling and repair services that are expected to be highly lucrative in the decades ahead.

By stress-testing the regulatory framework for novel space missions, the report’s recommendations provide important clarity for the UK’s space industry, their clients and investors, which ultimately encourages the growth of and investment in British space businesses working on RPO missions. This work is supported by the Regulatory Innovation Office’s (RIO) mission to reform regulation across emerging technologies.

Delivery on these recommendations is already underway, as is Stage 2 of the Sandbox, which will examine issues unique to RPO missions in greater detail. The Stage 1 report sets a model for future sandboxes to follow. Its findings will support the delivery of the UK’s first ever active debris removal mission, planned to launch by 2028 to prove the tech needed to safely remove defunct satellites from orbit. This is technology that will protect the safe, secure and sustainable access to space upon which the UK’s economy and national security depend.

Nick Shave, Managing Director, Astroscale UK:

Astroscale UK is proud to have jointly led the industry delivery of Stage 1 of the RPO Regulatory Sandbox. Rendezvous and Proximity Operations are the foundation of all in-orbit servicing, from life-extension and refuelling to active debris removal – and with the right regulatory framework, the UK can be a global leader in this transformative sector.

The recommendations in this report tackle the real bottlenecks industry faces today, providing clarity, proportionality and the confidence investors need. We look forward to working with government, regulators, and our fellow innovators to turn these proposals into action, ensuring the UK captures the economic and sustainability opportunities of a truly serviceable space sector.

Rory Holmes, ClearSpace COO and UK Managing Director, said:

Together with partners, ClearSpace has been at the forefront of delivering Stage 1 of the RPO Regulatory Sandbox, an important step towards a safe, sustainable, and commercially dynamic space sector. This stage has been pivotal in fostering collaboration between government, regulators, insurers, and operators, enabling stakeholders to address knowledge gaps and reduce uncertainty around licensing in-orbit servicing missions in the UK.

Through the RPO Operators Consortium, we have contributed to comprehensive recommendations on safety, sustainability, security, and liability measures to strengthen the UK’s regulatory framework and benefit all satellite operators. By establishing a clear, transparent, proportionate, and predictable approach, these proposals position the UK to become a global leader in this strategically vital domain. We remain committed to turning this framework into action, supporting its implementation, and advancing the vision of secure, resilient, and sustainable space operations.

D-Orbit’s UK Legal Counsel, Lauren Payne, said:

Stage 1 successfully highlighted a range of challenges associated with the licensing of RPO missions under the current regulatory framework, allowing key stakeholders in licensing to work through these real-life challenges in a focussed, neutral forum.  For Stage 2 we will build on the work in Stage 1 and zero in on implementation, where we hope to translate these issues into a better regulatory environment for RPO operators, customers, and regulators.

Colin Macleod, Head of the Space Regulator at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said:

The regulatory sandbox on RPO allows us to work with industry and government on cutting edge ideas in a fast-paced, collaborative and safe environment.

RPO is vital for sustainable space but operating satellites at thousands of miles per hour in close proximity brings big challenges. Getting this right unlocks new ways of operating in space, helping the UK space sector grow while operating safely and responsibly.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 16 August 2025.

Patients and frontline staff could see huge benefits from new AI helping people out of hospital quicker and slashing bureaucracy.

Patients could get home to family and off busy wards more quickly, thanks to game-changing AI that could help write the documents that are needed to discharge people from hospital.

The cutting-edge technology will help cut waiting lists, by giving frontline staff the precious gift of time and making care more efficient so that loved ones return to the comfort of their homes quickly. Currently being developed at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust, it is one of many projects to receive backing from the Prime Minister as part of the AI Exemplars programme.

The AI-assisted tool could deliver the support that NHS staff have been crying out for – helping doctors to draft discharge documents faster by extracting key details from medical records, such as diagnoses and test results, using a large language model.  After a full review from a medical expert responsible for the patient, these documents are then used to discharge a patient from a ward and refer them to other care services that may be needed.

It would radically improve an outdated system that can leave patients on wards unnecessarily for hours, waiting for time-pressed doctors providing urgent care to sit down and fill in forms before they can go home. In some cases, the current system for writing discharge summaries can also inaccurately record basic patient details – like what treatment they’ve had, or changes to medication – and put them in harms way.

Another project announced today, ‘Justice Transcribe’, will be transformational for Probation Officers – by helping to transcribe and take notes in their meetings with offenders after they leave prison. The technology, which was found to halve the time officers spent organising notes between meetings and in their personal time, is set to be scaled to all 12,000 probation officers following the pilot phase outcome.

Projects being announced today as part of the Prime Minister’s AI Exemplars programme are prime examples of how the government wants to use AI across the public sector to make people’s lives easier and help deliver the Plan for Change. Over the coming months, these exemplars will be developed and trialled, with those showing the most promise potentially rolled out more widely. It follows the Prime Minister’s approach that people should not spend their time on tasks that AI can do quicker and better.

Speaking on a visit to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said:

This is exactly the kind of change we need: AI being used to give doctors, probation officers and other key workers more time to focus on delivering better outcomes and speeding up vital services.

This government inherited a public sector decimated by years of under-investment and is crying out for reform. These AI Exemplars show the best ways in which we’re using tech to build a smarter, more efficient state.

When we get this right across government, we’re talking about unlocking £45 billion in productivity gains – delivering our Plan for Change and investing in growth not bureaucracy.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

This potentially transformational discharge tool is a prime example of how we’re shifting from analogue to digital as part of our 10 Year Health Plan.

We’re using cutting-edge technology to build an NHS fit for the future and tackle the hospital backlogs that have left too many people waiting too long.

Doctors will spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients, getting people home to their families faster and freeing up beds for those who need them most.

The NHS Federated Data Platform, a system designed to connect IT across health and care services, is hosting the AI-assisted discharge summaries tool. This means that it can handover information to different care services in an efficient and secure way, while also making it easier to use the technology across the country if tests are successful.

Planning

The AI Exemplars programme will also include the ‘Extract’ tool, which will standardise data faster by converting decades-old, handwritten planning documents and maps into data in minutes. It will power new types of planning software to slash the 250,000 estimated hours spent by planning officers each year manually checking these documents.

Schools

Other technology backed by the programme, the ‘AI Content Store’, will also help make more accurate AI tools to support teachers to mark work and plan lessons – ensuring they are able to spend more time helping children in the classroom with face-to-face teaching, supporting the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity.

Justice

A further tool in the programme is ‘Justice Transcribe’. Early feedback from probation officers has shown that the technology allows them to focus on the personal, and often emotive meetings with offenders, instead of having to interrupt to take notes and clarify details.

Civil service

The suite of AI tools known as ‘Humphrey’, that helps make the civil service more efficient, is also included in the package. It comes as ‘Consult’, a tool in the package, analyses the thousands of responses any government consultation might receive in hours, before presenting policy makers and experts with interactive dashboards to explore what the public are saying directly.

It has been the first AI tool to undergo testing against a new ‘social readiness’ standard, where the tech was shared with members of the public to get their views on the value it adds, the strength of safeguards in place and the risks associated with using the technology.  Members of the public noted that Consult is well targeted to replace an “old school process” that is very “archaic” and ripe for improvement with AI.

The independent report, completed after deliberative focus groups by the Centre for Collective Intelligence at Nesta, a charity focused on innovation for the public good, found that 82% of people felt positive or neutral about the use of the technology across government.

Notes to editors

With more to be announced in the coming months, AI Exemplars include:

• Justice Transcribe, Ministry of Justice.
• ‘Humphrey’, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
• Education Content store, Department for Education.
• AI Tax Compliance, HMRC.
• ‘Extract’ and the Digital Planning Programme, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
• ‘Minute’ for Local Government, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
• GOV.UK Chat, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
• AI for diagnostics, NHS.

The press release issued by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology on 16 August 2025.

AI agents could soon take on boring life admin by dealing with public services on your behalf – from filling in forms to completing applications and booking appointments.

AI agents could soon take on boring life admin by dealing with public services on your behalf – from filling in forms to completing applications and booking appointments, as the UK government plans trials to save people time and modernise the state.

Agentic AI is unique in that it can reliably complete basic admin tasks for people as well as provide tailored support for them, by putting in a prompt and watching it do the work for them. Acting on behalf of people, AI agents from private companies can be used to book flights, shop around for the best deal online, or book restaurants and activities from a holiday itinerary.

On Monday, the government will invite specialist companies who have started working with this type of cutting-edge AI to team up with in-house Whitehall experts to test this technology together. This includes exploring if agentic AI can help get young people into work by supporting them to take the next step in their education, find the best apprenticeship for their circumstances, provide custom career guidance and more.

In the first instance the tool could be trialled to help people with employment and skills but if successful, the government will experiment to see if agentic AI can help with other life milestones. For example, when moving home a government-built AI agent could help you update an address on your digital driving licence, register you with a new GP, register you in the correct constituency to vote and more.

Taking a new experimental approach recommended in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, the development of the technology will follow a “test and learn” approach that could be rolled out across the country from late 2027 – and builds on the early success of GOV.UK Chat, an experimental generative AI chatbot which is being developed in government.

UK Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said:

We can entirely rethink and reshape how public services help people through crucial life moments using the power of emerging AI technology. Using agentic AI to its full potential, we could provide a level of service to citizens across the country that was previously unimaginable – helping people to find better career opportunities, avoid wasting their time on government admin and more.

We are asking the world’s brightest AI developers to work in collaboration with our own brilliant AI teams as we test how valuable their latest tech can be in helping people in their day-to-day lives. At each step, we’ll only progress if the technology can be used in a safe and reliable way – but if it works, we could be the first country in the world to use AI agents at scale.

The technology, which would be entirely optional to use, could also save people hours of headaches by dealing with dozens of different agencies and government officials at once on their behalf.

To deliver this, the government is today asking for frontier AI labs to share their expertise and dedicate AI specialists to build a prototype of the technology over six-to-twelve months. Together, with government AI experts, a hybrid team will prove what’s possible in applying this new technology to public services, while the UK government will maintain ownership of the product into the future.

The project will be the first “National AI Tender” issued following the AI Opportunities Action Plan, a new method that seeks to build cutting-edge AI solutions to improve public services across the country.

It will follow a “Scan, Pilot, Scale” approach recommended by the AI Opportunities Action Plan, with the tender marking the start of the “Pilot” phase where the government will work with leading AI labs to see whether the technology available is ready to reliably deliver on this ambition.

The technology will be built in small and iterative stages, meaning it is consistently being evaluated and rigorously tested to make sure it is ultimately reliable and accurate enough to be used by people across the country when it’s ready.

The completed “Scan” phase included some user research to test where agentic AI could be most helpful, and some early prototyping and exploration of what data is already available to make further development possible.

Throughout, the project will be evaluated before it progresses to the next stage. If it is successful at each stage, an agentic AI solution could be rolled out across the country from the end of 2027.

It comes ahead of the Prime Minister announcing a wider series of AI Exemplars tomorrow, where he will set out several ways in which AI is being used across the public sector to speed up services, save money and improve outcomes for citizens.

The list will include the “Extract” tool, which will standardise data faster by converting decades-old, handwritten planning documents and maps into data in minutes. It will power new types of planning software to slash the 250,000 estimated hours spent by planning officers each year manually checking these documents.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 15 August 2025.

Government launches AI crime prevention challenge to support safer streets.

Criminals hell bent on making others’ lives a misery face being stopped before they can strike through cutting edge mapping technology, supported by AI, to be rolled out by 2030, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has announced today (Friday 15 August).

Innovators have been tasked with developing a detailed real time and interactive crime map that spans England and Wales and can detect, track and predict where devastating knife crime is likely to occur or spot early warning signs of anti-social behaviour before it spirals out of control – giving police the intel they need to step in and keep the public safe.

It will be rooted in advanced AI that will examine how to bring together data shared between police, councils and social services, including criminal records, previous incident locations and behavioural patterns of known offenders.

The map will identify where crime is concentrating so law enforcement and partners can direct their resources as needed and help prevent further victims.

The Concentrations of Crime Data Challenge – delivered by UKRI – sets teams from business, universities and beyond a clear and measurable target of coming together to develop the solution to be operational across England and Wales by 2030 and is part of the government’s £500 million R&D Missions Accelerator Programme.

As part of an initial £4 million government investment, teams will deliver initial prototypes to enhance the mapping system by April 2026 – a crucial milestone that supports the Safer Streets Mission as part of our Plan for Change, which aims to halve knife crime and Violence Against Women and Girls within a decade.

Whilst visiting the Met Police, Science and Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle said:

Cutting-edge technology like AI can improve our lives in so many ways, including in keeping us safe, which is why we’re putting it to work for victims over vandals, the law-abiding majority over the lawbreakers.

Our police officers are at their best when they join up to prevent crime rather than react to it, and R&D can deliver crucial tools for them to stay one step ahead of potential dangers to the public and property – keeping our streets safe and delivering on our Plan for Change.

Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention, Dame Diana Johnson, said:

As criminal networks keep evolving with technology, so too must our response. We are giving police the tools they need to make our streets safer, and this crime map will be a powerful tool, building on the expanded rollout of live facial recognition vans we unveiled this week.

As part of our Plan for Change, we are investing in AI and other innovations that will help us be smarter on crime, staying ahead of the curve and prevent it from happening in the first place.

The challenge builds on existing Home Office work, including sophisticated mapping technologies targeting knife crime hotspots and the summer-long Safer Streets Initiative tackling town centre crime, taking this foundation further through enhanced research, expanded data sources and deeper analysis to better understand crime patterns and measure the impact of interventions.

The Safer Streets Mission also supports the government’s commitment to put 13,000 additional police officers, PCSOs and special constables into neighbourhood policing roles. Every neighbourhood will have a named, contactable officer dealing with local issues.

This announcement is the second challenge to be announced as part of the Programme, building on our Clean Energy challenge aiming to deliver cheaper bills for households across the UK by shifting electricity demand during evenings and weekends by two gigawatts by 2030 – the equivalent of 1.5 million homes.

Further challenges will be announced on how science and technology can build an NHS fit for the future, break down barriers to opportunity and drive growth to deliver on the government’s Plan for Change.

John Hayward-Cripps, CEO of Neighbourhood Watch said:

We welcome the announcement of this challenge which will bring together experts and practitioners at the cutting edge of crime, data and technology, to create an operational mapping system which we hope will enable people to feel safer and more secure in their homes and local neighbourhoods.

The map will pool a wealth of valuable crime data and enable law enforcement to target their resources more effectively at a local level and help prevent further victims of crime. As an organisation that strives to build a society where neighbours are more connected, safer, and active in their communities, we welcome this laser focus on harnessing data and tech to prevent crime at the local level.

Patrick Green, CEO of The Ben Kinsella Trust said:

We wholeheartedly welcome the government’s announcement on using AI to predict and prevent crime. This forward-thinking approach, which focuses on providing police with preventative tools to proactively intervene, aligns perfectly with the core mission of the Ben Kinsella Trust.

For 17 years, our work has been driven by the belief that prevention is the most powerful tool against crime, especially knife crime. By reaching young people early and educating them on the dangers and consequences of knife crime, we empower them to make safer choices.

This new initiative provides a powerful technological extension of that ethos, it demonstrates that the government recognises the immense value of prevention and is investing in innovative solutions to support our police officers in their vital work of keeping the public safe.

Rebecca Bryant, CEO of Resolve said:

This is a landmark moment for innovation in community safety. The Safer Streets mission and the Concentrations of Crime Data Challenge show a real commitment to harnessing technology for public good. At Resolve, we know that data alone isn’t enough as how we apply it really matters with a clear focus on an ethical and collaborative approach, all of which can make such a difference for communities. We’re proud to support this initiative and will continue championing the voices of practitioners who turn insight into impact every day.

Matthew Evans, Director of Markets and Chief Operating Office, techUK said:

This is a forward thinking step toward building safer, stronger communities. By harnessing cutting-edge AI alongside robust data sharing between police, councils, and social services, this initiative showcases the true potential of interoperability. Seamless collaboration across agencies will enable earlier detection of patterns, smarter allocation of resources, and more targeted interventions, helping to prevent harm before it occurs and better protect the public.

Tracey Burley, Chief Executive of St Giles, said:

Technology can play a role in tackling complex issues like knife crime – but only if used with care, recognising that individuals can be both victims and perpetrators, and that certain communities risk being unfairly profiled. Any technological solution must go hand in hand with proven measures such as early intervention for those at risk, and tackling the root causes – poverty, inequality and lack of opportunity.