Oral Answers to Questions

Bim Afolami Excerpts

Tuesday 3rd March 2020 Commons Chamber

[Julian Sturdy (York Outer) (Con)]

2. What steps he is taking to increase investment in research and development.

[Bim Afolami (Hitchin and Harpenden) (Con)]

11. What steps he is taking to increase investment in research and development.

[Mrs Flick Drummond (Meon Valley) (Con)]

13. What steps he is taking to increase investment in research and development.

--- Later in debate ---

[Alok Sharma]

I know that my hon. Friend is hugely supportive of R&D, and that last month he opened the Institute of Technology at York College. I absolutely agree that that is part of our levelling-up agenda. We want to support centres of excellence across the country. In December last year UK Research and Innovation awarded £24 million to the University of York for a quantum communications hub, and we will set out our ambitious play strategy for R&D in the second half of this year.

[Bim Afolami]

Rothamsted Research in my constituency is a world-leading agricultural research centre, and we have made huge strides in commercialising that scientific knowledge, working with agritech start-ups. I am working with Rothamsted to build a new venture capital fund for agritech, working with those start-ups to incubate and develop them so that we can improve this facility, not just for Rothamsted and the region but for the whole country. Will the Secretary of State provide Government support for this work and come to see the work that we are doing at Rothamsted?

[Alok Sharma]

I am delighted that my hon. Friend is showing his characteristic commitment to innovation by supporting an agritech venture capital fund. As he notes, Rothamsted has a world-renowned reputation for agricultural research, and that is why UKRI has awarded £3.4 million to determine protein abundance in plants at that research institute. Either I or the Science Minister—the Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, my hon. Friend the Member for Derby North (Amanda Solloway)—would be happy to meet him to discuss how the Government can support his proposals.