Baroness Brown of Cambridge

Innovate UK launched a £5m Engineering Biology Access to Infrastructure Pilot competition on September 7 as part of the £184m Engineering Biology Scale-up Infrastructure programme. This competition enables SMEs affordable access to specialised UK engineering biology scale-up facilities in the public and private sectors, such as catapults, bio-foundries and CMOs. BIST and UKRI are working closely together on the scope and design of the scale-up infrastructure fund to ensure that the necessary facilities are available to support SMEs to demonstrate the technical and economic commercial viability of their technology. This fund and further phases of the access fund will be launched in due course.

Over the last few years, the department has invested in the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) to help improve the quality of computing education. The NCCE will continue to provide support to teachers of computing, ensuring they are equipped with the specialist knowledge they require to confidently teach the subject. The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review will consider how children will acquire the key digital skills needed for life and work. The department will look at how it can support teachers to adapt to any future curriculum changes.

The Science Learning Partnerships have made important contributions over the last few years, and the department greatly values the work they have done. However, the previous government decided to focus resources more tightly, resulting in ending the funding of Science Learning Partnerships. The department expects to continue support for those teaching physics outside of their specialism. There is a range of other support for science education in schools, including materials from Oak National Academy in all three sciences, and free and commercially available continued professional development. The department remains strongly committed to supporting science education and continues to support teachers, including through generous financial incentives and fully funded Subject Knowledge Enhancement training.