Tag: Department for Science Innovation and Technology

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

Wessex Internet wins government-funded Project Gigabit contract to roll out lightning-fast connectivity to around 10,500 homes and businesses in the New Forest.

Thousands of homes and businesses across the New Forest and surrounding areas will benefit from high-speed full-fibre broadband after a government contract worth nearly £14 million was awarded to Wessex Internet.

This new three-year contract is part of the UK government’s £5 billion Project Gigabit, which aims to provide lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband to hard-to-reach communities across the UK.

Wessex Internet’s fibre optic network will be rolled out to communities around the New Forest including Brockenhurst, Burley, Beaulieu, Godshill, Hordle and Sway, transforming broadband speeds and reliability for local residents and businesses.

Wessex Internet will work closely with Forestry England and the Verderers of the New Forest throughout this three-year programme of work and expects to start network construction in the first communities by the end of this year.

The first properties could be connected to lightning-fast broadband as early as February 2024.

Digital Infrastructure Minister Julia Lopez said:

Thanks to this latest multi-million pound contract for the New Forest, thousands of hard-to-reach homes and businesses in this stunning area will benefit from a state-of-the-art network ready to provide the speed and reliability we will all need in the decades ahead.

The Prime Minister has put growing the economy as one of his five top priorities, and this investment will go far in delivering on that mission here in the New Forest by equipping rural areas with the infrastructure they need for the digital age.

Hector Gibson Fleming, CEO at Wessex Internet, said:

This is great news for homes and businesses in the New Forest who will be able to access world-class connectivity and the many economic and social benefits it provides. We will now work closely with the residents and communities across this beautiful national park to deliver this exciting programme.

We’re delighted to be awarded our second contract under Project Gigabit. It is testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, and their strong track record of rolling out gigabit-capable connectivity to even the hardest to reach countryside communities.

Project Gigabit is the UK government’s flagship £5 billion programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband. The fast, reliable connections delivered by Project Gigabit will level-up mostly rural and remote communities across the UK, such as the New Forest.

With gigabit-capable broadband, households will no longer have to struggle with limited bandwidth, while businesses will be able to improve their productivity, and public services will become more accessible to people in remote areas.

This is the second Project Gigabit contract awarded to Wessex Internet, following the award of Project Gigabit North Dorset to connect more than 7,000 properties in August 2022.

Based in Dorset, Wessex Internet, is an award-winning local and independent broadband provider that is passionate about connecting the countryside. It is building a gigabit-capable network that connects and serves even the most remote communities in Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire and South Somerset.

Forestry England’s local spokesperson said:

We very much look forward to supporting Wessex Internet’s delivery of ultrafast full fibre broadband on sensitive land managed by Forestry England over the next few years and hope this will have a positive impact on many residents across the New Forest.

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

Substantial investments in telecoms and a new Wireless Infrastructure Strategy to put the UK at the forefront of science and technology, harness enterprise and innovation and drive economic growth.

The Prime Minister has set out his 5 priorities for this government – to build a better, more secure, more prosperous future for the UK, including growing the economy, and creating better-paid jobs and opportunity right across the UK. We can only deliver on that priority with world-class digital infrastructure.

Digital infrastructure is crucial to unlocking opportunities for growth and prosperity and delivering my department’s mission to put the UK at the forefront of global scientific and technological advancement. Future telecoms is 1 of the 5 critical technologies identified in our recently published Science and Technology Framework.

That is why the government has announced a package of measures to drive the deployment and adoption of fixed and wireless networks and to invest in the next generation of connectivity.

A new Wireless Infrastructure Strategy

The Wireless Infrastructure Strategy sets out a policy framework to affirm our unwavering commitment to extending 4G coverage to 95% of the population, deliver standalone 5G to all populated areas in the UK by 2030, and invest £40 million to drive take up of innovative 5G-enabled services for businesses and the public sector. It also sets out a comprehensive 6G strategy to harness and develop the UK’s strengths in future telecoms, and to ensure that the UK can influence and benefit from the development of 6G in a way that meets the UK’s future connectivity needs.

Key measures in the strategy

1. A new ambition of nationwide coverage of standalone 5G to all populated areas by 2030 – so everyone can benefit from new technology enabled by advanced wireless technology

2. A clear strategic framework to help the private sector invest in 5G networks by supporting strong competition and investment, driving down deployment costs and stimulating demand, including through

• continuing to remove practical barriers to the deployment of 5G infrastructure
• confirming our openness to market consolidation, noting that merger decisions are taken on their merits by the Competition and Markets Authority
• ensuring that net neutrality rules are fit for purpose
• asking Ofcom to review and set out a clear evidenced-based and forward-looking rationale for its approach to setting spectrum fees by the end of 2023
• working with Ofcom and industry to refarm spectrum where it is not being used efficiently
• maximising the UK’s influence at international spectrum negotiations, with alignment of international and domestic spectrum frameworks where possible

3. Fixing coverage reporting, including on trains and in rural areas, shining a light on where coverage needs to be improved

4. £40 million new funding to establish eight to 10 5G Innovation Regions across the UK. This will enable regions and local authorities to unlock opportunities using advanced wireless connectivity, tailored to each area’s specific needs and strengths, encourage 5G take-up in the public sector and in industry and strengthen the case for investment at the local level, driving productivity and growth.

5. Establishing a national taskforce to encourage take-up and investment at the local level

6. As part of wider plans to boost public sector adoption of 5G and other advanced wireless connectivity, ensuring new hospitals have access to 5G or similar advanced wireless connectivity, allowing major improvements in healthcare delivery.

7. Setting out a clear strategy for influencing the development of 6G, so the UK strengthens and maintains its role as a science superpower

8. Launching an £8 million fund to provide capital grants to further promote new satellite connectivity to the most remote 35,000 premises.

Investing up to £100 million in a new future telecoms mission

The 6G Strategy, set out in the Wireless Infrastructure Strategy, is supported by a new national mission to ensure that the UK is at the forefront of future telecoms technologies.

The 6G strategy sets out how we will work to shape the next generation of wireless technology. We want to ensure that 6G is developed to meet the needs of people and businesses right across the UK and support our international competitiveness throughout the economy.

The government has established future telecoms as one of its five critical priority technologies in our goal to be a science superpower by 2030.

Alongside the 6G Strategy we have therefore launched a new, long-term national mission, with initial funding of up to £100 million, to ensure the UK is at the leading-edge of future telecoms and 6G technologies.

These next generation networks will herald a new, richer generation of internet based services, power rapidly growing global digital economies and support net zero – from complex AI and quantum-enabled networks of satellites and drones, right down to fibre-optic networks beneath our feet.

A key element of this mission will be a series of Future Telecoms Research Hubs, where early stage research will be coordinated through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) via the Technology Missions Fund (TMF).

These Hubs will build on the springboard provided by EPSRC’s £6 million investment for three federated and connected platforms in the communications technologies space. Supported by the UK Telecoms Innovation Network (UKTIN), these platforms will engage with the telecoms sector, catapults and internationally around three broad themes: a network of networks; wireless and wired systems and spectrum; and, cloud and distributed computing.

The platforms will draw together the existing portfolio of EPSRC investments in telecoms-related areas into a coordinated approach.

These Hubs will help to develop an Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio to strengthen UK companies’ global competitiveness, as well as provide the foundation for spinout companies, and attract further industry investment in the UK’s world leading research base.

Support for early-stage research will be complimented by funding for application focussed ‘challenges’ – delivered via Innovate UK – supporting companies to accelerate innovative solutions to market and encourage disruptive collaboration across the UK’s diverse Future Telecoms landscape. This aims to cement early UK market leadership, additionally attracting follow-on investment for companies to scale-up and grow in the UK.

We will work closely with our international allies to deliver this mission – ensuring we are influential in shaping the global landscape, embedding our values into future telecoms technology, and protecting our security interests.

Funding opportunities for industry, researchers and others through this investment are available throughout 2023 and into next year as well. All funding will be awarded and managed by UKRI on behalf of UK government. Further information will be released shortly.

In addition, to inform our next steps beyond this Spending Review Period, we are commissioning a feasibility study to explore the potential for new infrastructure provision to improve competitiveness and drive growth in the UK telecoms sector and foster UK capability.

£8 million capital grants for satellite connectivity

We continue to make rapid progress through commercial and subsidised rollouts to achieve our goal of future proof and resilient connectivity to over 99% of the UK by 2030. Nevertheless there will be some areas – perhaps around 100,000 premises – where we expect that gigabit will not be possible.

The government has launched an £8 million fund to provide capital grants to further promote new satellite connectivity to the most remote 35,000 premises and to help ensure that these premises get improved broadband where required.

This work follows the launch of the government’s Alpha Trial programme in December 2022, to test the capability and viability of low earth orbit satellites to deliver high-speed connectivity to homes and businesses in very hard to reach areas.

The government has now launched a total of 7 sites across the UK using a mixture of both OneWeb and Starlink equipment. These sites include some of the most remote areas of the UK including Snowdonia National Park, North York Moors, Papa Stour and Lundy Island.

Further details on the value of the grants, which premises will be able to apply for the scheme and how they can apply will be released in due course.

Additional policy measures for those premises where we believe that Fixed Wireless Access connectivity will be possible will be brought forward later this year.

Rural 10 point plan

The Wireless Infrastructure Strategy sets out our 10 point plan to support rural communities access and adopt the connectivity they need to drive economic growth.

1. The £5 billion Project Gigabit will deliver future proof broadband to rural areas, with £1 billion already made available. (A new almost £14 million contract, announced today, will bring gigabit broadband connections to around 10,500 homes and businesses in the New Forest.)

2. In very hard to reach areas, where it will be uneconomic to deliver gigabit broadband, the government will work with industry to ensure that these premises get improved broadband, where required. This year we will:

• launch an £8 million fund to provide capital grants to further promote new satellite connectivity to the most remote 35,000 premises
• set out plans to encourage the provision of fixed wireless access to other hard to reach areas

3. We are already investing £1 billion in the Shared Rural Network to deliver 4G coverage to 95% of the UK landmass, with the biggest coverage improvements in rural parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. This will also:

• deliver 4G coverage on a further 16,000 km of roads, with further indirect improvements over time, including a boost to ‘in-car’ coverage on around 45,000 km of roads
• improve geographic coverage to 79% of Areas of Natural Beauty, benefitting millions of visitors every year

4. We have asked Ofcom to improve mobile coverage reporting, including in rural areas

5. We are establishing a new headline nationwide ambition for 5G in all populated areas by 2030, and this will include connectivity in areas classified as rural – backed by measures that help improve economics of rural rollout

6. We are establishing a new £40 million 5G Innovation Fund to establish 5G innovation regions. Driving innovation and adoption of advanced wireless technologies across rural industries will be a key focus of 5G Innovation Regions – supporting 5G-enabled innovation everywhere.

7. We are funding a new 5G adoption campaign that will help support adoption and investment in key sectors, including agri-tech.

8. We are working with Ofcom to improve access to spectrum for rural network providers, making it easier for networks to be deployed and for innovative use cases to be realised.

9. We will be appointing a Rural Connectivity Champion to report DSIT and Defra Secretaries of State to support adoption of advanced wireless connectivity and promote innovation in industries like agriculture.

10. We are continuing to remove barriers to deployment in rural areas, including changing planning regulations, making it quicker and easier to roll out digital infrastructure.

A new strategic vision for spectrum policy

The Spectrum Statement sets out a new strategic vision and principles for spectrum policy. Maximising its usage across the public and private sector is critical to delivering our mission to position the UK at the forefront of global scientific and technological advancement, supporting research, innovation and growth across the economy while protecting critical services like defence and climate science.

Spectrum, the range of invisible electromagnetic waves, enables all wireless technology, from our mobile phones, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices to aircraft navigation and satellite applications, amongst many other uses. The devices and services that depend on spectrum now underpin almost every aspect of our economic and social lives.

Priority actions include working with Ofcom to enhance shared use of spectrum, reviewing our use of market mechanisms to support a strong investment environment and establishing a new framework to improve access to public sector spectrum.

This will mean better connectivity for people across the UK and better access to spectrum to support the new enterprise applications that will drive the economic growth, productivity and improved public services of tomorrow.

Flexi-permits to accelerate broadband rollout

The government is working with the local authorities and the telecoms industry to further trial the use of flexible permits (or ‘flexi-permit’) in a number of counties (such as in more rural areas).

Currently operators must apply for a permit to work in each individual street. Flexi-permits would allow telecoms companies to work in multiple streets under a single permit.

If successful, flexi permits could help the roll-out of broadband.

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

The next evolution of 5G, future telecoms and a national mission to connect all communities.

New plans and investment to boost digital connectivity and put the UK at the forefront of future telecoms technologies have been unveiled by Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan today (Tuesday 11 April) – unlocking growth, innovation and potential across the country.

As part of the new Wireless Infrastructure Strategy, the Government has set out its ambitions to blanket the country with the fastest, most reliable wireless coverage available – with an ambition for all populated areas to be covered by ‘standalone’ 5G (what some companies call 5G-plus) by 2030. 77% of the population already has access to basic 5G from one provider.

This next iteration of 5G coverage across the country will unlock new technologies that will change our lives and the way businesses operate, at a time when the connectivity we depend on is significantly evolving and is woven further into the lives of us all. From driverless vehicles, robots and drones on the factory floor to making our cities smarter, cleaner, and less congested; innovation is set to be supercharged.

Today’s announcement also commits £8m to delivering high-speed broadband for up to 35,000 of the UK’s most remote properties. Under the new scheme, homes and businesses in the most remote areas that are unable to be connected to gigabit-capable broadband will be given funding to link them up to satellites orbiting the globe, giving them a broadband connection that will be up to ten times faster than what is currently available to them.

Additionally, a £40 million 5G innovation fund will promote investment and adoption of 5G by businesses and public services, helping them unlock opportunities to use advanced wireless connectivity, generating value, innovation and growth at a local level.

To help the mass adoption of 5G across the country, the strategy sets out a clear pro-investment framework for mobile network operators by driving down deployment costs and improving demand. The Government has also reconfirmed that there is no ‘magic number’ of mobile operators, whilst noting all decisions on consolidation are for the Competition and Markets Authority.

The UK is due to hit 75% gigabit broadband coverage this month, up from just 6% in 2019, and is on track to deliver 99% by 2030.

Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said:

Our Wireless Infrastructure Strategy sets out our plan to ensure everyone, no matter where they live, can reap the benefits of improved connectivity. We are doing this by ensuring all populated areas in the UK will be served by what I call ‘5G-plus’ technology by 2030. We are also committing £8m to provide satellite connectivity for our most remote communities so that no one is left behind.

We are also supporting long term economic growth in the UK with a £40m fund to encourage innovative 5G investment across the private and public sector. This will help industries transform at a time when the ways we communicate, work and do business are on the precipice of significant evolution.

This package of measures turbocharges our progress towards becoming a science and tech superpower with a substantial initial investment in the future of telecoms. We want to ensure that 6G is developed to meet the needs of people and businesses right across the UK and bolster our international competitiveness throughout the economy.

Future Telecoms Mission

The government has also announced a new long-term national mission to ensure that the UK is at the forefront of both adopting and developing 6G, the future of digital connectivity. As part of a fully-fledged 6G strategy, the government will ensure that the next generation of mobile connectivity meets the needs of people and businesses across the UK.

The government has committed up to £100 million of funding initially to shape and drive early-stage research into 6G and influence global standards-setting. The UK will work closely with allies to deliver this mission – ensuring we are influential in shaping the global landscape, embedding our values into future telecoms technology, and protecting our security interests. This will support the UK’s drive to become a science superpower, as set out in the Science and Technology framework.

Accelerating broadband rollout

We are putting in place new plans to speed up the deployment of faster internet connectivity through work with the local authorities and the telecoms industry to further trial the use of flexible permits for roadworks to install fibre in a number of areas.

Spectrum Statement

Spectrum is the invisible electromagnetic waves that enables all wireless technology, from our mobile phones, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices to aircraft navigation and satellite applications, amongst many other uses. The devices and services that depend on spectrum now underpin almost every aspect of our economic and social lives.

As spectrum becomes more critical to UK strategic priorities – from communications and broadcasting to space and defence – we have also set out the government’s priorities in a new Spectrum Statement.

This will mean better connectivity for people across the UK and better access to spectrum to support new enterprise applications that will drive the economic growth, productivity and improved public services of tomorrow.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 6 April 2023.

Government sets out prospectus programme – titled ‘Pioneer’ – to protect and support UK research and innovation sector, should it be required.

The blueprint for Pioneer – a long-term, bold prospectus programme to support research and innovation in the UK should association to the Horizon Europe scheme not prove possible – has been unveiled today (Thursday 6 April).

The Pioneer prospectus sets out the proposals that would inform the scheme, which is being developed with input from researchers, and businesses across the UK.

We are discussing association to Horizon Europe with the EU, and hope our negotiations will be successful. That is our preference. But association would need to be on the basis of a good deal for the UK’s researchers, businesses and taxpayers. If we are not able to secure association on fair and appropriate terms, we will implement Pioneer – our bold, ambitious alternative.

Earlier this week Science and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan held an introductory meeting with the EU Commissioner, Mariya Gabriel, to discuss research collaboration including the UK’s expectations around association to Horizon Europe. While those discussions continue, initial details on Pioneer are being published now to give researchers and businesses the opportunity to give their input, and provide long-term certainty if we are unable to reach the right terms through discussions with the EU.

Science and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said:

We are engaging with the EU over Horizon Europe and I got the ball rolling this week with a meeting with Commissioner Gabriel in Brussels. We hope our negotiations will be successful, and that is our preference, but it must be on the right terms.

We must ensure we have an ambitious alternative ready to go should we need it and that our businesses and researchers have fed into it. Our top priority is supporting them to ensure their ground-breaking work can continue no matter what. That is why I am starting this conversation today about how we will keep backing them, in any scenario so our sector has certainty as well as say.

Should it be required, the alternative Pioneer programme would focus on 4 main themes to complement our existing R&D investments:

• Talent
• End to End Innovation
• Global Collaboration
• Investments in the R&D system

The government is bringing forward this detail, now, so that stakeholders from right across the UK’s research and innovation sectors can play an active role in building the plan.

The long-term programme would be established as quickly as possible if needed, and the government would undertake intensive engagement with researchers and businesses to determine priorities for a programme that would help build on UK strengths and develop new capabilities, while distributing resource and support for the sector across the country, in line with the Levelling Up agenda.

This comes as The Horizon Europe Guarantee fund has reached an important milestone with more than £1 billion now awarded to UK-based researchers and innovators, enabling them to participate in Horizon Europe projects while the UK’s association to the flagship EU funding programme is delayed.

The guarantee scheme, delivered by UKRI, supports researchers and innovators who have been successful in Horizon Europe competitions but cannot receive EU funding due to the delays to the UK’s association to the programme. With Guarantee funding they can continue their important work in research and innovation.

Support for the Pioneer prospectus

Professor Paul Boyle, chair of the Universities UK Research & Innovation Policy Network and Vice-Chancellor at the University of Swansea said:

We are pleased to see that, with publication of the Pioneer prospectus today, the government has again reiterated its ambition to complete association to Horizon Europe. The recent engagements between Secretary of State Michelle Donelan and the EU ambassador last month, and this week’s meetings in Brussels, demonstrate that this is being treated seriously by both parties.

Agreement is clearly needed on an appropriate cost for the UK’s association given the years that have been missed. And while we remain hopeful that negotiations can proceed swiftly to deliver a positive outcome, it is entirely appropriate that the UK has an alternative plan that can be activated should our association prove impossible to agree in a reasonable timeframe. As such, we are pleased to see that proposals have now been published and that government is inviting feedback.

Universities UK has been consulted on the development of the Pioneer package, and we will continue to engage constructively in the coming months. Indeed, there are aspects of the package that we would urge the government to consider implementing in addition to the UK’s association to Horizon Europe, as they would further bolster our ability to work globally and to achieve our collective research and innovation ambitions.

Dr Tim Bradshaw, Chief Executive of the Russell Group, said:

The start of serious negotiations in Brussels this week over the UK’s participation in EU programmes is a significant step forward. It is right that discussions take place over fair and appropriate terms, and we hope an agreement can be reached swiftly to finally get association over the line.

The ambition of the proposals for Pioneer is welcome. If needed, it is vital that this package focuses on attracting and retaining talent and supporting global collaboration on discovery research through to innovation, all backed by funding commitments and with the necessary transition measures in place.

We welcome the opportunity to work with government on the development of Pioneer and will scrutinise the proposals carefully. However, we have always been clear that it will be a challenge to replicate the full benefits of the world’s largest collaborative research programme, with ready-made routes for talent flow, facilities access and collaboration with multiple countries.

This should not be viewed as an either-or scenario. Strengthening our links with Europe and beyond through Horizon can sit alongside a roll-out of elements of the government’s alternative plans, giving the UK the best opportunity to cement our status as a science superpower.

Professor Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering said:

The strong preference of the Academy and the wider global research and innovation community has always been for the UK to associate with Horizon Europe. The progress indicated by discussions in recent weeks suggests that we are now closer to confirming that agreement. We hope that all parties will work together quickly to reach fair and appropriate terms for the association that reflect the impact of 2 years of delays. The whole engineering community would celebrate an announcement of continued partnership between the UK and EU.

Should association prove impossible even at this late stage the information in the prospectus for Pioneer will be helpful to the community in preparing for the measures that would be put in place under those circumstances. The Academy has worked closely with DSIT, our sister National Academies and UKRI to be ready to deliver the Pioneer Discovery elements of that plan.

Dr Diana Beech, Chief Executive Officer, London Higher said:

While association to Horizon Europe remains a priority for UK science, we welcome the publication of the government’s ambitious alternative plan, Pioneer. This prospectus contains a range of new, innovative proposals which could propel the UK’s science and technology superpower ambitions forward irrespective of the outcome of negotiations. International collaboration is vital to the future success of UK R&D, and we welcome the government’s detailed thinking on how this can be enhanced through the UK’s multidisciplinary strengths.

As representatives of the largest concentration of universities and research-performing organisations of any UK region, we hope that this alternative plan will continue to provide our world-class universities and researchers with the funding, certainty and stability needed to continue powering the engine of UK innovation and build connectivity across the regions. We will work with our membership to discuss the benefits of this alternative, and openly invite the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to work with London’s universities to build on the full diversity of our nation’s R&D capabilities.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 4 April 2023.

The Science and Technology Secretary, Michelle Donelan, will travel to discuss research collaboration including the UK’s expectations around association with Horizon Europe.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 2 April 2023.

Investment is aimed at sparking a new wave of revolutionary medical research across the industry.

Over 1,200 researchers in medical research charities will receive over £50 million in funding to help solve some of the biggest global health challenges and secure the future of the UK’s world-class life sciences sector.

Announced by Science Minister George Freeman today (Sunday 2 April), the funding will support researchers across 90 charities early on in their careers at a time when the UK is committing record amounts to R&D, reaching £20 billion a year by 2024/25. The £50 million investment is aimed at sparking a new wave of revolutionary medical research across the industry, including in dementia, motor neurone disease and brain tumour research.

Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said:

The next generation of researchers are the key to solving the greatest medical challenges of our times, tackling hundreds of different diseases and conditions, preventing illnesses and developing lifechanging therapies.

By investing in those very people that make up our world-class medical research community, we hope to inspire a new wave of budding researchers that can continue to improve the lives of those affected by these diseases across the UK.

Ninety charities across the UK have received the funding, ranging from larger household names to smaller charities working on rarer diseases such as cystic fibrosis or conditions such as epilepsy. Regional charities operating across the UK such as the Yorkshire Cancer Research and Wessex Medical Trust are included, alongside charities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Over £2.8 million will be delivered to dementia charities, such as the Alzheimer’s Society, supporting early career researchers to defeat dementia by researching the causes, cure, care, and prevention of the disease.

Over £1.3 million will also be delivered to brain tumour charities and over £1.7 million to motor neurone disease charities, two causes that are close to the hearts of many affected by it through their own experiences or that of friends and family across the UK.

Other examples of charities receiving funding include:

• Epilepsy Research UK
• North West Cancer Research
• Medical Research Scotland
• Wellbeing of Women
• Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI

Minister of State for Science, Research & Innovation George Freeman said:

Medical research charities from Cancer Research UK to the thousands of smaller specialist charities like Cure Leukamia , the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and the MND Association are the jewels in the crown of UK Medical Research and patient access to medical breakthroughs.

Medical charity fundraising collapsed in the pandemic. That’s why we’re extending our pandemic relief with this £50m Government funding to help 90 medical research charities support over 1,000 early career researchers.

Minister of State for Health Will Quince said:

We’re cementing our position as a global leader in life sciences by investing in the next generation of medical researchers to cultivate and harness the innovation of young, pioneering minds and secure the future of our healthcare.

This is yet another example of how we’re leading the way to support research into conditions like dementia and helping accelerate the delivery of cutting-edge medical advancements and bolstering patient care through faster and more accurate diagnoses.

First introduced in 2021 to provide economic security to medical research charities in the wake of the COVID pandemic, the Medical Research Charities Early Career Researchers Support Fund is helping to attract, retain, and develop the most talented and diverse researchers into these roles so that the budding world-class researchers of tomorrow are persuaded to work, remain, and develop within the UK, underpinning the Government’s plans to make the UK into a science and technology superpower.

Early career researchers are the lifeblood of the UK’s medical research community, serving as the future of life sciences research which aims to tackle hundreds of different diseases and conditions, seeking to prevent illness, develop therapies and generally improve public health.

In the Science and Technology Framework published in March, the newly formed Department for Science, Innovation and Technology identified boosting public investment into research and development as a key target for government, seeking to foster new economic growth and better productivity across the industry.

The Medical Research Charities Early Career Researchers Support Fund (2022-23) is administered by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) with the help of the Association of Medical Research Charities and is made up of £45m funding from Department for Science, Innovation and Technology alongside £5m from the Department for Health and Social Care.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 29 March 2023.

Government launches AI white paper to guide the use of artificial intelligence in the UK, to drive responsible innovation and maintain public trust in this revolutionary technology.

• White paper sets out new approach to regulating artificial intelligence to build public trust in cutting-edge technologies and make it easier for businesses to innovate, grow and create jobs
• plan will help unleash the benefits of AI, one of the 5 technologies of tomorrow, which already contributes £3.7 billion to the UK economy
• follows new expert taskforce to build the UK’s capabilities in foundation models, including large language models like ChatGPT, and £2 million for sandbox trial to help businesses test AI rules before getting to market

Five principles, including safety, transparency and fairness, will guide the use of artificial intelligence in the UK, as part of a new national blueprint for our world class regulators to drive responsible innovation and maintain public trust in this revolutionary technology.

The UK’s AI industry is thriving, employing over 50,000 people and contributing £3.7 billion to the economy last year. Britain is home to twice as many companies providing AI products and services as any other European country and hundreds more are created each year.

AI is already delivering real social and economic benefits for people, from helping doctors to identify diseases faster to helping British farmers use their land more efficiently and sustainably. Adopting artificial intelligence in more sectors could improve productivity and unlock growth, which is why the government is committed to unleashing AI’s potential across the economy.

As AI continues developing rapidly, questions have been raised about the future risks it could pose to people’s privacy, their human rights or their safety. There are concerns about the fairness of using AI tools to make decisions which impact people’s lives, such as assessing the worthiness of loan or mortgage applications.

Alongside hundreds of millions of pounds of government investment announced at Budget, the proposals in the AI Regulation White Paper will help create the right environment for artificial intelligence to flourish safely in the UK.

Currently, organisations can be held back from using AI to its full potential because a patchwork of legal regimes causes confusion and financial and administrative burdens for businesses trying to comply with rules.

The government will avoid heavy-handed legislation which could stifle innovation and take an adaptable approach to regulating AI. Instead of giving responsibility for AI governance to a new single regulator, the government will empower existing regulators – such as the Health and Safety Executive, Equality and Human Rights Commission and Competition and Markets Authority – to come up with tailored, context-specific approaches that suit the way AI is actually being used in their sectors.

The white paper outlines 5 clear principles that these regulators should consider to best facilitate the safe and innovative use of AI in the industries they monitor. The principles are:

• safety, security and robustness: applications of AI should function in a secure, safe and robust way where risks are carefully managed
• transparency and explainability: organisations developing and deploying AI should be able to communicate when and how it is used and explain a system’s decision-making process in an appropriate level of detail that matches the risks posed by the use of AI
• fairness: AI should be used in a way which complies with the UK’s existing laws, for example the Equality Act 2010 or UK GDPR, and must not discriminate against individuals or create unfair commercial outcomes
• accountability and governance: measures are needed to ensure there is appropriate oversight of the way AI is being used and clear accountability for the outcomes
• contestability and redress: people need to have clear routes to dispute harmful outcomes or decisions generated by AI

This approach will mean the UK’s rules can adapt as this fast-moving technology develops, ensuring protections for the public without holding businesses back from using AI technology to deliver stronger economic growth, better jobs, and bold new discoveries that radically improve people’s lives.

Over the next 12 months, regulators will issue practical guidance to organisations, as well as other tools and resources like risk assessment templates, to set out how to implement these principles in their sectors. When parliamentary time allows, legislation could be introduced to ensure regulators consider the principles consistently.

Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said

AI has the potential to make Britain a smarter, healthier and happier place to live and work. Artificial intelligence is no longer the stuff of science fiction, and the pace of AI development is staggering, so we need to have rules to make sure it is developed safely.

Our new approach is based on strong principles so that people can trust businesses to unleash this technology of tomorrow.

Businesses warmly welcomed initial proposals for this proportionate approach during a consultation last year and highlighted the need for more coordination between regulators to ensure the new framework is implemented effectively across the economy. As part of the white paper published today, the government is consulting on new processes to improve coordination between regulators as well as monitor and evaluate the AI framework, making changes to improve the efficacy of the approach if needed.

£2 million will fund a new sandbox, a trial environment where businesses can test how regulation could be applied to AI products and services, to support innovators bringing new ideas to market without being blocked by rulebook barriers.

Organisations and individuals working with AI can share their views on the white paper as part of a new consultation launching today which will inform how the framework is developed in the months ahead.

Lila Ibrahim, Chief Operating Officer and UK AI Council Member, DeepMind, said:

AI has the potential to advance science and benefit humanity in numerous ways, from combating climate change to better understanding and treating diseases. This transformative technology can only reach its full potential if it is trusted, which requires public and private partnership in the spirit of pioneering responsibly. The UK’s proposed context-driven approach will help regulation keep pace with the development of AI, support innovation and mitigate future risks.

Grazia Vittadini, Chief Technology Officer, Rolls-Royce, said:

Both our business and our customers will benefit from agile, context-driven AI regulation. It will enable us to continue to lead the technical and quality assurance innovations for safety-critical industrial AI applications, while remaining compliant with the standards of integrity, responsibility and trust that society demands from AI developers.

Sue Daley, Director for Tech and Innovation at techUK, said:

techUK welcomes the much-anticipated publication of the UK’s AI White Paper and supports its plans for a context-specific, principle-based approach to governing AI that promotes innovation. The government must now prioritise building the necessary regulatory capacity, expertise, and coordination. techUK stands ready to work alongside government and regulators to ensure that the benefits of this powerful technology are felt across both society and the economy.

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

The Government Office for Technology Transfer (GOTT) has funded the National Physical Laboratory’s development of an innovative new thermal imaging technology.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 21 March 2023.

Tens of thousands of people in rural Cambridgeshire will enjoy access to lightning-fast broadband after a major contract was signed to upgrade the county’s network as part of Project Gigabit.

• Work begins on £122 million plan to upgrade hard-to-reach areas across Cambridgeshire to lightning-fast broadband
• Full fibre builder CityFibre to deliver connections to around 45,000 rural homes and businesses as part the government’s £5 billion Project Gigabit
• Part of Prime Minister’s pledge to grow the economy, roll out will benefit villages and hamlets around Ely, Newmarket, Royston, Huntingdon and many other areas

Tens of thousands of people in rural Cambridgeshire will enjoy access to lightning-fast broadband after a major contract was signed to upgrade the county’s network as part of Project Gigabit – the government’s £5 billion roll out to hard-to-reach areas.

Around 45,000 premises across the county and surrounding areas are in line for gigabit-capable full fibre connections – capable of speeds more than 30 times faster than superfast broadband – thanks to a £69 million contract under Project Gigabit.

The contract, one of the largest to date, will unlock a further £53 million commercial investment from CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent full fibre provider, to expand their network.

Digital Infrastructure Minister Julia Lopez said:

Thanks to our record-breaking roll out Project Gigabit, rural homes and businesses across Cambridgeshire can be confident they won’t be left behind in the upgrade to top-of-the-range gigabit broadband.

This landmark deal with CityFibre will help deliver the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy by ensuring the county’s pioneering science and tech industries can unleash their full potential with lightning-quick connectivity, whether in the city or the countryside.

Project Gigabit is the biggest broadband roll out in British history, backed with up to £5 billion to deliver faster connections to hard-to-reach areas that would otherwise have missed out. Gigabit-capable networks are fast and fit for the future, allowing users to work, stream and scroll online without the battle for bandwidth or disruption often experienced with ageing networks.

Detailed planning in Cambridgeshire has already begun and the first Project Gigabit connections are expected in early 2024.

As part of its private investment, CityFibre has committed an additional £300,000 local stimulus package to create local jobs and provide training – including construction and engineering internships for disadvantaged groups such as armed forces leavers, people with disabilities and those affected by Covid.

The package will also provide free connectivity to 50 local charities and social enterprises and help those who have trouble using digital technology – often due to the cost or a lack of skills – by increasing their access to digital skills training and equipment.

Aided by government policies to encourage and drive investment in broadband roll out, CityFibre already has extensive coverage in Cambridgeshire where it has so far committed more than £100 million of investment, completing roll outs in Peterborough and March, and with deployment well underway across the county.

CityFibre CEO Greg Mesch said:

Having already rolled out full fibre to 2.5 million homes in towns and cities across the country, we know just how important it is that rural communities and internet service providers are freed of their dependency on creaking copper networks and finally able to enjoy the benefits of fast and reliable digital connectivity.

That’s why we are delighted that CityFibre has been selected by the government as a partner in its Project Gigabit Programme. We look forward to a long and effective partnership in this exciting programme which supports not only rural connectivity, but a healthy competitive market for the long term, benefiting consumers and business nationwide.

Cllr Lorna Dupré, Chair of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Environment and Green Investment Committee, which oversees the Connecting Cambridgeshire programme, said:

Improved digital infrastructure is crucial for our county and given the significant economic and social benefits for Cambridgeshire I am delighted that we are among the first areas in the country to benefit from the Government’s Project Gigabit funding.

Access to fast, reliable internet connectivity should no longer be a luxury. It is a basic necessity for all our residents, local businesses and the delivery of public services This initiative will greatly enhance the region’s digital infrastructure and support economic growth, education and innovation.

The £122 million investment will support our ambition for our businesses to have the leading-edge digital connectivity needed to help them succeed and grow sustainably, and for our communities, particularly in rural and harder to reach areas, to be digitally connected so that residents can access education, jobs, health, social care and other public services.

Today’s announcement follows more than £160 million worth of contracts already signed in locations right across England, including Cumbria, Teesdale, Northumberland, Dorset and Cornwall. More than 73 per cent of the UK can access gigabit-capable connections, a huge rise on three years ago when coverage stood at just six per cent.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 16 March 2023.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will play an essential role in helping deliver commitments made by the Chancellor in yesterday’s Budget.