Tag: Department for Science Innovation and Technology

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It would radically improve an outdated system that can leave patients on wards unnecessarily for hours, waiting for time-pressed doctors providing urgent care to sit down and fill in forms before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.

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

The Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund will help more people get online, drive economic growth and raise living standards, as part of the Plan for Change.

• More people will be supported to get online through new government fund helping to drive economic growth and raise living standards as part of the Plan for Change.
• Backed by £9.5 million from UK government, the funding will help tackle digital inequality across the UK, including through workshops to familiarise people with tech and donating new devices to those without access to online world.
• Funding will be delivered in partnership with the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – building on local knowledge and expertise.

Local charities and councils could benefit from £9.5 million in new UK government funding being announced today (Wednesday 13 August), to turbo-charge grassroots efforts to help the 1.6 million people in the UK who can’t access to online world. The money will support the best and smartest ways of tackling digital exclusion, which could include putting on workshops to familiarise people with tech, schemes donating devices like phones and laptops to the digitally excluded, all led by local councils, charities and other bodies working in the heart of their communities.

Digital exclusion is holding too many people back and tackling it is critical to driving growth, which is at the heart of the government’s Plan for Change. Research suggests that 7.9 million adults across the UK lack basic digital skills, while 1.6 million people live offline altogether. These are people who are locked out from some of the basic opportunities that modern life offers, whether that’s mastering the essential digital skills for work – like setting up an email account and sharing files – or facing higher costs for things like home insurance, train travel and food – with people paying up to 25% more than consumers who are online.

The government has today launched the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund to help tackle these issues and get more people online. In England, local government, charities and research organisations can apply for funding worth £25,000 to £500,000 to help boost digital inclusion and skills in their local areas. The devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will determine their own arrangements for the distribution of funding to best support local digital inclusion initiatives.

This follows June’s launch of the IT Reuse for Good charter, where organisations can pledge to donate devices to the digitally excluded.

UK Telecoms Minister Sir Chris Bryant said:

It is unacceptable that in 2025, millions of people across the UK simply can’t access the vast opportunities that technology and the online world offers. Digital inclusion is an essential for modern life and work, not just something that’s nice to have, and it forms a critical part of our Plan for Change.

Making technology widely accessible could be the thing that means a sick patient can speak to a GP remotely, or that helps a young person successfully apply for a job. Through this funding we’re moving further to empower local leaders and groups nationwide, who are already working tirelessly to get their communities connected and change countless lives for the better.

Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt, said:

For over a decade, Wales has led the way in digital inclusion, and our Digital Strategy for Wales makes clear our aim to ensure everyone who chooses to can engage safely and with confidence with digital.

Being digitally included means having the basic digital skills and tools needed for everyday life – from accessing vital services and applying for jobs to staying connected with friends and family.

This new funding from the UK government will build on the progress we’ve made, helping to further our lead and support the aim to support people to meet the minimum digital living standard.

The fund is being directed at local organisations because they are best placed to know how to support the needs of their communities. Where new and innovative ways of tackling digital exclusion are shown to be effective, the hope is that by proving them through this fund, they can then be rolled out wider across the country.

Launching the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund delivers on a key commitment set out in the Digital Inclusion Action Plan published earlier this year, which set out this government’s first actions to tackle digital exclusion so that technology can be harnessed by everyone in the UK, and help the government boost growth and raise living standards under the Plan for Change.

Tackling digital exclusion will be crucial to raising living standards across the UK as part of the government’s Plan for Change, for instance by helping more people apply for jobs online, use the NHS app to book doctor’s appointments, or get advice on government services through tools like GOV.UK Chat.

Notes for editors

The full Digital Inclusion Action Plan can be found on GOV.UK: Digital Inclusion Action Plan: First Steps

Research shows that digitally excluded people face higher costs for things like home insurance, train travel and food paying up to 25% more on average than consumers who are online.

Allocations for the devolved governments for this FY (25-26) have been calculated on a per capita basis and amount to:

• £400,368 for Wales
• £764,020 for Scotland
• £267,249 for Northern Ireland

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 12 August 2025.

Tens of thousands of NHS patients living with obesity could get cutting-edge help to improve their health, thanks to a new health innovation programme.

Tens of thousands of NHS patients living with obesity could get cutting-edge help to improve their health, thanks to a new health innovation programme being announced today (Tuesday 12 August).

Backed by up to £85 million from the government and Lilly – one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies – this programme could make it easier for patients living with obesity to access holistic care to improve their health. It will do so by enabling access to weight management care more easily, wherever they live, through new routes like digital platforms, local community-based access, and pharmacies.

Improving the health of patients living with obesity will help to ease pressure on the NHS and GPs, as well as helping more people living with obesity to participate fully in work, supporting the government’s Plan for Change mission to rebuild the health system and support people to live healthier lives.

The UK government will contribute up to £50 million of new UK-wide investment, and Lilly will contribute up to £35 million of grant funding, with NHS organisations able to come up with proposals and apply for a share of the funding. At least £10 million of this funding is earmarked to support proposals in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The programme will be open to proposals from across the UK. In participating areas, eligible patients could access innovative services as early as summer 2026.

Besides the potential benefits to individuals’ health and wellbeing, this could help bring down the £11 billion annual cost to the NHS of supporting patients living with obesity. This programme comes as a result of the prospective landmark collaboration which was agreed between the government and Lilly at the International Investment Summit in October last year, which could generate up to £279m of investment.

Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said:

New ways of accessing support to tackle obesity, such as through pharmacies or with help from digital tools, could be transformational for people’s quality of life, and for society – allowing individuals to more easily manage their weight and freeing them from ill-health that holds them back in daily life – while reducing the strain on our NHS.

This programme also underlines life sciences’ critical value to our Plan for Change and our modern Industrial Strategy. By working hand-in-hand with one of the world’s largest life sciences companies, we are driving investment into the UK and tackling one of the greatest health challenges of our era.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said :

Obesity is now one of the leading causes of ill health, costing the NHS billions. Yet, we now have the science, technology and knowledge to help tackle the obesity epidemic, if we seize this opportunity.

As we shift our focus from treatment to prevention with our 10 Year Health Plan we are also determined to bring revolutionary modern care to everyone that needs it, not just those who can afford to pay.

This collaboration will help patients living with obesity in a matter of months – through testing better access to weight loss services and treatments.

In the long-term it will inform how we can better tackle one of the biggest modern day health challenges and, through our Plan for Change, create an NHS that is fit for the future.

Professor Rachel Batterham, Senior Vice President for International Medical Affairs at Lilly said:

The launch of this programme marks an important milestone in advancing new models of care for obesity. At Lilly, we are deeply committed to addressing the complex health challenge of obesity, and we are pleased to collaborate with the UK government and NHS partners. Together, we aim to build an evidence base that could transform health outcomes for people living with obesity.

NHS England national medical director Dr Claire Fuller said:

Obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges we face and costs the NHS billions of pounds every year, so this collaboration between government and industry to drive new ways of supporting people with obesity could make a huge difference.

The NHS is already developing and rolling out a range of ways to help people to manage their weight and live healthier lives, with patients benefiting from wraparound care from local weight management teams and via online support services, but we are excited by the potential of this collaboration to accelerate efforts to tackle obesity as the NHS moves from treatment to prevention as part of the 10-Year Health Plan.

Healthcare stakeholders across the NHS such as care boards, working with technology providers, will be invited to submit bids to pilot innovative models of care for people living with obesity, outside of existing specialist weight management services to increase capacity and avoid those services being overburdened.

The programme, which will be delivered together with Innovate UK, will provide patients living with obesity with new ways to access comprehensive holistic weight management support, including a range of wraparound services, and potentially obesity treatments (for eligible patients as clinically appropriate), or support by digital tools.

A central part of this programme will be finding new ways to deliver obesity care that are accessible to everyone who can benefit from them, regardless of their background.

This builds on our recent investment through Innovate UK into 23 projects from the Weight Management Pathway Design Accelerator. Led by Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and health boards across the UK, these focused three-month projects are exploring new ways to design more personalised and joined-up weight management support, delivered in local communities where it’s easier for people to access.

Patient eligibility will be decided by clinicians at local level, with all services adhering to national guidelines, NHS governance and clinical standards, ensuring a patient centric approach aligned to local need.

Notes to editors:

• The work being announced today is a demonstration of the £108 billion life sciences sector’s value to the UK economy, in both improving public health and keeping the UK at the forefront of scientific progress. Life sciences’ critical role in the modern Industrial Strategy, and the government’s ambitious plans for its continued success, are laid out in the Life Sciences Sector Plan.
• The government is determined to back the UK life sciences sector to support the delivery of innovative new ways of tackling obesity, alongside introducing measures to prevent obesity in the first place, such as restrictions on junk food advertising, to help ease pressure on the NHS.
• This collaboration falls under the Obesity Healthcare Goals programme, aiming to set the stage for government to work with industry to trial innovative approaches to treating obesity as part of a rounded package of care.
• Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, is the UK’s innovation agency. Their mission is to help companies to grow through their development and commercialisation of new products, processes and services, supported by an outstanding innovation ecosystem that is agile, inclusive and easy to navigate.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 7 August 2025.

Science Minister Lord Vallance calls on businesses and researchers to develop cutting edge tech, that could cut energy costs in the long-term.

Households could benefit from cheaper bills thanks to AI as Science Minister Lord Vallance challenges tech experts to come up with cutting edge tech that will help shift peak electricity demand by 2030 (Thursday 7 August).

An initial £4 million for the first year of a five-year challenge will support researchers to come up with solutions that help shift electricity demand in evenings and weekends by 2 gigawatts – potentially cutting energy costs in the long-term for the consumer, boosting our energy security, and further reducing our reliance on fossil fuels – helping to make Britain a clean energy superpower and delivering on our Plan for Change.

As demand for energy spikes – like in the early evening when people return home – the grid often turns to gas-fired power stations, which are more expensive and more polluting, while leaving the UK exposed to volatile global gas markets.

The work of innovators across the UK will deliver better forecasting, as well as help manage and shift demand at busy times by the equivalent to the amount used by one and a half million homes. Examples could include:

• Getting AI to predict how much energy we’ll use days ahead of time. It can do this by plugging in data from things like smart meters, weather forecasts, and when people have the telly on.
• Automatically heating or cooling buildings when clean energy is most available, and at its cheapest.
• Using parked electric cars as giant batteries – charging them when electricity is cheap and sending power back to the grid when it’s needed.

This could reduce the need to build network infrastructure and new power plants, leading to a reduction in consumer bills in longer term – supporting our mission to make Britain a Clean Energy Superpower by 2030 through generating at least 95% of UK electricity from clean sources and delivering on a key pillar of our Plan for Change.

The Clean Energy: 2GW Peak Time Flexibility challenge is the first of 5 to be announced as part of the R&D Missions Accelerator Programme – backed by £500m set out in the Spending Review. It is also the first time government has set a clear, measurable and stretched target for R&D to deliver its core missions.

The project will be led by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in collaboration with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), which is responsible for leading the government’s clean energy mission.

Science Minister Lord Vallance said:

We’re calling on Britain’s brightest minds and innovative businesses to help us cut energy bills, boost energy security, and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.

This is a challenge with real impact – if we get it right, we’ll save families money, protect the planet, and make the UK a clean energy superpower.

R&D has the power to change lives and we want to harness it to deliver real, measurable progress towards the government’s 5 missions and turn bold ideas into real solutions by 2030.

Minister for Climate Kerry McCarthy said:

We are working to build a more flexible electricity system, giving households more choice and control over when and how they use energy.

This new challenge will help deliver that, exploiting the exciting potential of AI and other cutting-edge tech to help more people access flexible tariffs and save on bills as part of our Plan for Change.

The initial £4m of funding will by April 2026 bring Britain’s expert AI and energy businesses, universities and research organisations together to explore where current solutions can be scaled up, build use-cases and enable testing – including building simulation and modelling capability – so successful products can be brought to market more quickly.

The programme will also look at where government involvement and funding can help to get them moving and improve people’s lives more quickly.

Further challenges will be launched over the coming weeks and months on how cutting-edge research can help make our streets safe, build an NHS that is fit for the future, break down barriers to opportunity and unlock growth to deliver our Plan for Change.

Funding will be awarded to a consortium of existing world-leading centres based around the UK including the Energy Systems and Digital Catapults, and other leading research institutions to lead the work.

Susan Bowen, CEO of Digital Catapult, said:

Digital Catapult is laser focused on accelerating the practical application of deep tech to boost business performance – an outcome of this work is to decarbonise our key sectors, optimising energy efficiency for businesses and consumers alike.

Our delivery of this programme underpins the government’s goals to kickstart economic growth, position the UK as a clean energy superpower, and harness digital innovation to deliver smarter, more sustainable energy systems.

Shubhi Rajnish, Chief Information Officer at the National Energy System Operator (NESO), said:

With nearly 2 million households already registered to our world-first Demand Flexibility Service – rewarding customers to turn down or shift their energy use during peak hours – we know that smart innovation really can make a difference.

Harnessing new technology like AI to optimise the way Britain uses its electricity isn’t only going to help make things more affordable for consumers, it’s going to help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and improve energy security, helping us on our road to clean power by 2030.

Marzia Zafar, Deputy Director for Energy Systems Management and Security at Ofgem, said:

Encouraging energy companies and innovators to develop their AI capability and trial new products and services is key to a low carbon future, and at Ofgem we’re hugely supportive of those at the forefront of those efforts.

I’m really excited to see how the new ideas this funding enables will lead to a more efficient and better functioning energy system for us all.

Sonia Brown, Group Head of Strategy, Innovation and Market Analytics at National Grid, said:

Innovation across Britain’s electricity networks is already helping to deliver a smarter, more sustainable energy system.

This new initiative will build on that momentum, boosting efforts to harness AI and digital technologies to reduce peak demand and support a more secure, affordable and clean energy future.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 22 July 2025.

Steve Bates OBE appointed to help champion research and innovation and the use of technology to transform health and grow the UK economy.

Industry leader Steve Bates OBE has today (Tuesday 22 July) been appointed as Executive Chair of the Office for Life Sciences, the cross-Government unit that champions research, innovation and the use of technology to transform health and grow the economy across the UK.

The Office for Life Sciences (OLS) will report directly into the Business Secretary in addition to the Health Secretary and Technology Secretary, recognising that driving economic growth and investment in this key sector will be a crucial part of the OLS agenda in support of the Plan for Change.

The moves show the government is taking immediate action to deliver the Life Sciences Sector Plan, the ambitious blueprint for unleashing the UK’s circa £100 billion life sciences sector as a force for economic growth and bettering the nation’s health, in aid of the Plan for Change. Forming one of the 8 core pillars of the modern Industrial Strategy, the Plan sets out the government’s commitment to deepening its ties with the life sciences sector, and strengthening the Office for Life Sciences to do so.

It builds on the positive momentum coming from recent successes for OLS, such as the recent £1 billion investment deal with BioNTech which the Office was instrumental in delivering, and backing for groundbreaking research like that supported by Our Future Health and UK Biobank, as well as its role in the up to £600 million investment to deliver a Health Data Research Service that will be unmatched globally – bringing the power of data to bear to unlock breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

Steve Bates is a recognised industry figurehead, having led the UK BioIndustry Association as CEO since 2012. He sits on the UK Life Sciences Council, and was a founder member of the UK Government’s Vaccine Taskforce. Steve was made OBE for services to innovation in 2017 and became a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2020.

Steve Bates OBE said:

The UK is great at life sciences. Great science, growth finance, world leading entrepreneurs, agile regulators, and key health data assets, all network here within a sector focused industrial strategy.

I know we can deliver global health outcomes and UK economic growth because we did so through the Vaccine Taskforce during COVID. I look forward to selling the sector’s great story to the globe. It’s a privilege to help life science businesses start, grow, scale and renew in the UK ecosystem to deliver economic growth, prosperity and health.

Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said:

The life sciences sector plays a unique role, as a catalyst for both economic prosperity, and better health outcomes for people across the UK. Its ongoing success will be pivotal to both our Plan for Change, and our modern Industrial Strategy.

It is only right that we draw upon the nation’s best talent and expertise to push this sector on to even greater heights, and to that end I am delighted that Steve will be joining us in these endeavours.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

We’re turning the UK into a life sciences powerhouse and harnessing the genius of our country’s greatest scientific minds.

I know that Steve will bolster this mission and help make Britain the envy of the world when it comes to medical innovation.

Under his leadership, I’m confident the Office for Life Sciences will continue to drive groundbreaking research and fulfil the Plan for Change’s goal to transform healthcare for patients across the country.

Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said:

We want to make the UK a life sciences superpower. That’s why we earmarked it as a priority sector in our modern Industrial Strategy, which sets out how we will back the industry to keep it at the forefront of global innovation.

This single front door for industry to engage with government will be key to achieving our life sciences mission, as will appointing talented leaders like Steve – boosting the sector to deliver on our Plan for Change to grow the economy.

The Office for Life Sciences is a Directorate of 120 civil servants, which drives policy and delivery in the Life Sciences sector, supporting the government’s ambitions on economic growth and improved health that sit at the heart of the Plan for Change. Currently overseen by the Health Secretary and Technology Secretary, it will now also have more formalised links into the Department for Business and Trade to support the government’s Industrial Strategy.

In his new role, Bates will act as an ambassador both domestically and internationally for the UK life sciences sector. He will work across government and the wider public sector to ensure engagement with industry around policy and investment happens productively and at pace, working closely with all 3 Secretaries of State, providing support and expert advice as required.

The UK is already a global leader in life sciences, with the sector worth around £100 billion to the economy, and employing around 300,000 people. These moves show the government’s determination to immediately deliver on its goals for the sector, as laid out in the Life Sciences Sector Plan. Developed in close coordination with the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan, the Plan is a vision for doubling down on the sector’s strengths – turning cutting-edge research into real-world results: new treatments, faster diagnoses, and more lives saved. It’s about making sure breakthroughs happen here – and stay here – creating jobs, improving lives in every part of the country, and driving growth.

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

OpenAI and the UK government have today signed a new strategic partnership.

OpenAI and the UK government have today signed a new strategic partnership setting out plans to expand AI security research collaborations, explore investing in UK AI infrastructure like data centres, and find new ways for taxpayer funded services like security and education to make best use of the latest tech.

It comes as OpenAI deepens its commitment to the UK, with plans to increase the size of its London office to follow. The move will build out what started as the company’s first international location just 2 years ago, where research and engineering teams contribute to the development of frontier AI models, and support is provided to UK business, developers and start-ups.

The partnership will explore where it can deploy AI in areas such as justice, defence and security, and education technology in line with UK standards and guidelines to demonstrate the opportunity to make taxpayer funded services more efficient and effective.

Signed today by Technology Secretary Peter Kyle and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ sets out intent to build on the UK’s strengths in science, innovation and talent to “maintain a world-leading UK AI ecosystem rooted in democratic values”.

Under the partnership, OpenAI will also explore potential routes to deliver the infrastructure priorities laid out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, recognising the importance of UK sovereign capability in achieving the economic benefits of AI. The move could mean that world-changing AI tech is developed in the UK, driving discoveries that will deliver growth.

It expands to share that OpenAI could look to invest in and support AI Growth Zones, first announced in the AI Opportunities Action Plan which has since been backed by £2 billion in the Spending Review.

With over 200 bids from across the country, AI Growth Zones are set to become hotbeds for AI infrastructure attracting billions of pounds in investment each. Today’s news follows the UK government confirming that Scotland and Wales will both host AI Growth Zones in its Compute Strategy.

The initiative follows the UK investing up to £500 million in sovereign AI that will be spent backing national AI champions and partnering with world leading companies like OpenAI. This partnership is an important element of our mission to ensure the UK continues to participate actively in the development of frontier AI, and that UK citizens continue to benefit from the economic growth provided by cutting-edge models.

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said:

AI will be fundamental in driving the change we need to see across the country – whether that’s in fixing the NHS, breaking down barriers to opportunity or driving economic growth. That’s why we need to make sure Britain is front and centre when it comes to developing and deploying AI, so we can make sure it works for us.

This can’t be achieved without companies like OpenAI, who are driving this revolution forward internationally. This partnership will see more of their work taking place in the UK, creating high-paid tech jobs, driving investment in infrastructure, and crucially giving our country agency over how this world-changing technology moves forward.

OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, said:

AI is a core technology for nation building that will transform economies and deliver growth. Britain has a strong legacy of scientific leadership and its government was one of the first to recognise the potential of AI through its AI Opportunities Action Plan.

Now, it’s time to deliver on the plan’s goals by turning ambition to action and delivering prosperity for all.

The AI lab could also work with government to identify how advanced AI models could help to improve the public services that millions of people use every day, and driving economic growth across the country.

OpenAI’s large language model, ChatGPT, already underpins multiple tools in ‘Humphrey’, Whitehall’s AI assistant that aims to speed up the civil service by taking away admin burdens.

For example, GPT 4o is used in ‘Consult’, the bespoke tool that speeds up the policy making process by automatically sorting public responses to consultations – doing a task that takes officials weeks in minutes, while leaving important decisions to experts.

In addition to supporting infrastructure plans laid out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, OpenAI may also explore developing state-of-the-art, AI-enabled R&D infrastructure in the UK, focused on shared areas of strategic interest with the UK government.

Notes to editors

• The memorandum is voluntary, not legally binding, and without prejudice to any binding agreements. It does not prejudice against future procurement decisions

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 18 July 2025.

12 of the UK’s leading universities and research institutions, across all 4 nations, will deliver the Global Talent Fund: a £54 million investment in Britain’s future prosperity and economic growth.

The new £54 million Global Talent Fund is designed to attract a total of 60-80 top researchers (both lead researchers and their teams) to the UK, working in the 8 high priority sectors critical to our modern Industrial Strategy like life sciences and digital technologies.  By bringing the very best minds in fields that will be critical to the future of life and work to the UK, we can pave the way for the products, jobs and even industries that define tomorrow’s economy, to be made and grow in Britain.

From Argentine César Milstein’s work on antibodies, to Hong Kong-born Sir Charles Kao who led the development of fibre optics, through to German Ernst Chain’s efforts to make penicillin usable in medicine, there is a long pedigree of overseas researchers making great breakthroughs whilst working in the UK. We want the UK to continue to be the natural home of the very best science and research, the world over.

Driving new tech innovations and scientific breakthroughs will fire up the UK economy and put rocket boosters on the government’s Plan for Change. The IMF estimates that breakthroughs in AI alone could boost productivity by as much as 1.5 percentage points a year, which could be worth up to an average £47 billion to the UK each year over a decade. Other technologies could be gamechangers too: quantum computing could add over £11 billion to the UK’s GDP by 2045, while engineering biology could drive anywhere between £1.6-£3.1 trillion in global impact by 2040.

Science Minister Lord Vallance said:

Genius is not bound by geography. But the UK is one of the few places blessed with the infrastructure, skills base, world-class institutions and international ties needed to incubate brilliant ideas, and turn them into new medicines that save lives, new products that make our lives easier, and even entirely new jobs and industries. Bringing these innovations to life, here in Britain, will be critical to delivering this government’s Plan for Change.

My message to the bold and the brave who are advancing new ideas, wherever they are, is: our doors are open to you. We want to work with you, support you, and give you a home where you can make your ideas a reality we all benefit from.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said:

The UK is home to some of the world’s best universities which are vital for attracting international top talent. Supported by our new Global Talent Taskforce, the Global Talent Fund will cement our position as a leading choice for the world’s top researchers to make their home here, supercharging growth and delivering on our Plan for Change.

The institutions selected to deliver the Global Talent Fund are:

• University of Bath
• Queen’s University Belfast
• University of Birmingham
• University of Cambridge
• Cardiff University
• Imperial College London
• John Innes Centre
• MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
• University of Oxford
• University of Southampton
• University of Strathclyde
• University of Warwick

These organisations will each get an equal share of the £54 million Fund, to use bringing some of the world’s foremost researchers and their teams to the UK. Each of them has a track record of recruiting and supporting top international R&D talent, as well as securing international competitive research funding to the UK. They are empowered to develop their own approaches and plans to spend their share of the Global Talent Fund to attract research talent from the around the globe in their choice of Industrial Strategy areas, including covering visa and relocation costs for researchers and their family members.

The Global Talent Fund, administered by UKRI, is just one part of over £115 million funding that is being dedicated to attracting the very best scientific and research talent to the UK. In addition to this fund, 2 fellowships have been launched, aimed at bringing groundbreaking AI research teams to UK organisations and labs: the £25 million Turing AI ‘Global’ Fellowships, as well as a UK-based expansion of the Encode: AI for Science Fellowship.

Alongside this, 2 new fast-track research grant routes have been announced by the National Academies – including £30 million from the Royal Society for a Faraday Discovery Fellowship accelerated international route, part-funded by their £250 million DSIT endowment. The Royal Academy of Engineering has announced a similar fast track international route, as part of its £150 million Green Future Fellowships endowment from DSIT – this funding will ensure the UK competes for the best global talent in science and research. While researchers looking to relocate to the UK can also benefit from the Choose Europe scheme, thanks to the UK’s association to Horizon Europe.

All of these efforts will be supported by the Global Talent Taskforce. Launched as part of the Industrial Strategy, the taskforce will report directly to the Prime Minister and Chancellor, and support researchers, scientists and engineers as well as top-tier investors, entrepreneurs and managerial talent to bring their skills to Britain.

Work to cultivate top AI research talent in the UK is further bolstered through the Spärck AI scholarships, which will provide full funding for master’s degrees at 9 leading UK universities specialising in artificial intelligence and STEM subjects. These scholarships will open for applications in Spring 2026. We also support postgraduate research broadly, with £500 million UKRI funding supporting over 4.700 students at 45 higher education institutions to study projects in biological, engineering and physical, and natural and environmental sciences.

Professor Phil Taylor, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bath, said:

Our university was founded with a mission to work closely with industry, and partnership working has been in our DNA ever since. We are truly delighted to play our part in attracting outstanding global academics to help power research in the UK’s industrial strategy priority areas.

This major investment recognises the vital role universities play in driving innovation and growth across the UK. We look forward to working with DSIT and UKRI to attract more bright minds to play their part in our innovation-fuelled and impact-focussed research.

Professor Sir Ian Greer, President and Vice-Chancellor at Queen’s University Belfast said:

We are proud that Queen’s has been selected as one of the 12 institutions to deliver the Global Talent Fund. This funding will allow us to bring world-leading researchers to Northern Ireland in priority areas such as advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity, fields that are vital to our economy and to the UK’s global competitiveness.

By attracting exceptional talent from outside the UK, we are strengthening our research base, and helping to drive innovation within the local economy. This is a clear endorsement of the excellence and impact of research at Queen’s, and of our role in helping to deliver the UK government’s Industrial Strategy.

Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor and Principal at the University of Birmingham said:

I am delighted that the University of Birmingham has been selected to support the government’s vision to attract exceptional international researchers to the UK. In celebration of our 125 anniversary this year, our University is committed to investing in the recruitment of 125 leading researchers. The Global Talent Fund investment means that we will now go even further – drawing a diverse community of world-leading researchers to Birmingham. They will join a thriving and ambitious research environment, where the potential for discovery, collaboration, and impact has never been greater. We look forward to welcoming a new generation of global research leaders to our University and city and to seeing the positive impact their work will have on the UK economy and on the health and wellbeing of society.

Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge, said:

The University is grateful for this award of funding. The Fund will bolster emerging and accelerating research areas, in line with the goals of the government’s Industrial Strategy. This investment will be pivotal in securing and supporting international academic expertise and strengthening the strategic opportunities the University is seeking to catalyse for both the University and the UK more widely.  We look forward to the opportunities this will unlock.

Cardiff University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Wendy Larner said:

We are delighted to have secured this funding to help us attract the world’s best minds to Cardiff and Wales.

It is a clear endorsement of our standing and place in the UK research community and sends a clear message that we are well-positioned to attract global talent. It will enable us to support more of the world’s leading academics in Wales – helping to further boost our research capacity and global reputation in key research areas.

Professor Hugh Brady, President of Imperial College London said:

Imperial College London is a global university and international researchers are central to our success. They bring fresh perspectives, new ideas, and a spirit of discovery that enriches our community and drives breakthroughs that benefit all of society – from tackling malaria to breakthroughs in quantum computing.

The Global Talent Fund will support our efforts to attract the brightest minds from around the world. We look forward to welcoming them and continuing to push the boundaries of knowledge together.

Professor Cristobal Uauy, Director designate, John Innes Centre said:

This funding is a major boost to our efforts at the John Innes Centre to attract ambitious world-leading researchers to join our Healthy Plants, Healthy People, Healthy Planet vision.

By bringing outstanding talent to the Norwich Research Park, we are strengthening the UK’s global leadership in bio-based innovation, data-driven biology, and sustainable, high-value agri-tech, key pillars of the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.

As a Chilean researcher who relocated to the UK, I’ve experienced first-hand the friendly, open and collaborative academic environment here. The world-class facilities, technology platforms and institutional support provided at the John Innes Centre are unrivalled. It’s the kind of environment where scientists can take bold ideas forward, build meaningful collaborations, and create lasting global impact.

Jan Löwe, Laboratory of Molecular Biology Director, said:

We welcome the government’s drive to attract global talent which addresses key barriers faced by researchers wishing to relocate to the UK.

The LMB’s scientific breakthroughs and technological advances have been driven by talented scientists of all nationalities since our origins in the 1940s. Science is a creative pursuit, and creativity thrives on diverse input from people of different backgrounds.

Research has no borders, and this funding will enable the LMB and fellow UK institutions to be competitive in the global scientific talent market and attract gifted scientists from around the world to drive UK innovations for the benefit of all.

Professor Irene Tracey CBE, FRS, FMedSci, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, said:

Oxford University has a long history of attracting exceptional global talent, enabling world-leading research, teaching, and innovation with wide-reaching social and economic impact. In 2021–2022, our science parks, knowledge exchange, and the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine contributed to a £6.6 billion boost to the UK economy, with our spinouts supporting over 31,600 UK jobs. Globally, the AZ vaccine is estimated to have saved over 6 million lives in its first year, resulting in a worldwide health economic impact of £2 trillion. The Global Talent Fund will draw internationally recognised experts to Oxford, building capability for future innovation and growth in the Industrial Strategy areas we have prioritised.

Professor Mark E. Smith, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton, said:

We are proud that the University of Southampton has been chosen as one of the small number of organisations for this exciting and important initiative.

Attracting world-leading researchers to work in the United Kingdom will help to lead innovation in the technologies of the future, supporting industry and driving economic growth.

Southampton is a global University with a wealth of research talent and this funding will help us to build further on our existing strengths and partnerships.

Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, said:

We welcome this important investment in global talent that UKRI has committed to and the alignment it creates between the new Industrial Strategy and the research and innovation leadership that is critical to its success.

Strathclyde is proud of its position as a leading international technological university. We deliver impact collaboratively by bringing together the excellent talented people we have at Strathclyde and through working closely with partners in other universities, industrial partners, innovation centres and National Laboratories through research that addresses market opportunities and national priorities – from climate resilience and sustainable energy to health innovation, and security and resilience.

This new funding from UKRI and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology reflects confidence in our ability to translate cutting-edge discovery into real-world applications and solutions, working collaboratively with industry, government and global partners. It will enhance our research environment, widen our talent pipeline and further enable our mission as a place of useful learning.

Professor Stuart Croft, Vice Chancellor and President of the University of Warwick said:

The University of Warwick is known for our world-leading expertise in Advanced Manufacturing and the Arts and this £4.35 million investment will accelerate the development of innovative insights, solutions, products, and services in an inter-disciplinary way. It will also help drive inclusive regional and national growth in the Creative Industries.

Through our strong partnerships with SMEs, industry, and local councils, this initiative will play a key role in advancing UK innovation and delivering meaningful benefits to communities across the West Midlands and the wider UK.

In our 60th anniversary year we are reaffirming our commitment to making a better world together and this funding will further strengthen our determination to deliver our vision.

Professor Christopher Smith, International Champion at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), said:

Global challenges from climate change to energy security, food systems to antimicrobial resistance do not respect borders, and neither should the research and innovation required to address them. Time and again, international collaboration has driven transformative breakthroughs: from the discovery of the Higgs boson at CERN, to the global effort to decode the complex wheat genome, enabling the development of high-yield, climate-resilient crops that support food security worldwide. The impact of global partnerships is clear.

The Global Talent Fund is a vital part of UKRI’s mission to support an open, dynamic, and diverse research and innovation system. By supporting our brilliant research institutes to attract outstanding individuals from across the world and foster collaboration between nations, we are strengthening the UK’s position at the heart of the global knowledge economy. This fund aligns with our enduring commitment to international engagement, and to working together to shape a better future for all.

Notes to editors

The £54 million Global Talent Fund comes over 5 years, starting in 2025/2026. The fund, administered by UKRI and delivered by universities and research organisations, will cover 100% of eligible costs, including both relocation and research expenses, with no requirement for match funding from research organisations. The initiative also includes full visa costs for researchers and their dependants, removing significant financial and administrative barriers to relocation.

Funding will be distributed evenly amongst the 12 research organisations.

The small number of world-class researchers, and their teams, who go on to be supported by these funds, will come to live and work in the UK via existing routes such as the Skilled Worker, Global Talent, and the Innovator Founder visas.

There are no plans to change existing visa routes – and the Immigration White Paper sets out the government’s broad approach to restoring order to the immigration system through the Plan for Change.

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

Tech entrepreneurs outside London will get support to grow their businesses, as the government launches a £1 million programme which is set to ignite innovation and bolster growth beyond the capital.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has today (Wednesday 16 July) announced the launch of the Regional Tech Booster programme, aimed at accelerating the growth of tech clusters and early-stage digital startups in regions including Scotland, the North East, Humber and East, and South Yorkshire.

While London remains Europe’s leading tech hub, the new programme will help close the gap between the capital and regional tech ecosystems by addressing key challenges including entrepreneur support, access to finance, and skills development.

It will do so by delivering tailored support programmes for tech founders, such as mentoring, investment promotion events, and workshops to share best practices across regional tech communities.

Minister for Tech and Future Digital Economy, Baroness Jones said:

Tech innovation doesn’t stop at the M25 and we’re choosing to invest in the talent and ideas flourishing across the UK.

This investment forms an important part of our Plan for Change to kickstart economic growth in every part of the UK. By supporting regional tech entrepreneurs, we’re creating the conditions for innovation and prosperity to flourish.

The initiative complements existing government support for regional development, including Project Gigabit, the Local Innovation Partnership Fund, AI Growth Zones, and digital skills programmes. It demonstrates a strategic choice to invest in regional tech ecosystems as part of the government’s wider Industrial Strategy.

Katie Gallagher, chair of the UKTCG and managing director of Manchester Digital, said:

The UK’s nations and regions are home to a diverse and growing network of tech ecosystems. They already make a vital contribution to the economy and with the right support, they can do even more.

We’re pleased that DSIT has selected the UK Tech Cluster Group to pilot a new approach. This programme will focus on collaboration, connecting clusters, sharing best practice, supporting founders and entrepreneurs and creating a practical playbook for building strong, sustainable regional tech economies.

With members from across the UK’s nations and regions, UKTCG is uniquely placed to deliver this work ensuring every part of the country benefits from the UK’s thriving tech sector.

UK Tech Cluster Group will focus on ensuring the programme delivers sustainable benefits that continue beyond the initial funding period, working closely with industry, academic institutions and local tech leaders to strengthen regional tech communities. Information on how regional tech clusters can apply for the programmes will be announced later this year.