Chi Onwurah

The Department does not hold data on the potential impact of non-EU bicycle imports on cycle distributors in the North East or the bicycle manufacturing sector.

At the Budget, the Government announced we would be continuing funding for key business support programmes in 2025-26: Growth Hubs in England, and the Help to Grow: Management programme. We also announced we are extending Made Smarter Innovation with up to £37m funding. Funding for the Made Smarter Adoption programme will double to £16 million in 2025-26, supporting more small manufacturing businesses to adopt advanced digital technologies and enabling the programme to be expanded to all nine English regions.

Economic growth is the first priority of this government. To deliver on this, one of our first steps after taking office was to announce that we were resuming Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with: the Gulf Cooperation Council, India, Israel, South Korea, Switzerland, and Turkey.

Having carefully reviewed our negotiation objectives we have now started talks with some of these key partners. We will not sacrifice quality for speed and will only agree deals that are mutually beneficial.

DESNZ and DSIT officials are already working together on the potential for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) to power data centres in the UK and will continue to do so. The recently announced AI Energy Council is also an avenue for DESNZ and DSIT SoS to discuss this topic further with the AI industry.

Advanced nuclear policy which includes Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) is administered by the Net Zero, Nuclear, and International (NZNI) Group within the Department. This includes an advanced nuclear policy function, a sponsorship interface with Great British Nuclear, which is delivering the SMR competition for UK deployment, and a science and innovation function as part of the Department’s wider Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. While staff numbers will fluctuate in accordance with Department priorities, as of January 2025, the team is made up of c.50 officials. The Department's activities are also supported by independent technical experts.

Great British Nuclear is driving forward its small modular reactor competition for UK deployment. To deliver on this mission, GBN has grown rapidly as an organisation and as of January 2025, GBN has c.145 FTE in total, of which c.90 FTE are focused directly on delivering the SMR programme.

Nuclear power currently provides ca. 15% of the UK’s electricity (6GW). As the current fleet retires, the Clean Power Action Plan anticipates a drop in capacity to 3-4GW in 2030.

We see nuclear as an important part of the mix going forward and are pushing ahead with building new nuclear. We have committed to getting Hinkley Point C over the line and will take final decisions on Sizewell C and the Great British Nuclear-led Small Modular Reactor programme at the Spending Review.

Depending on the capacity they require, large energy users can connect to either the low-voltage distribution network or the high-voltage transmission network. The networks are owned by private companies that are solely responsible for ensuring the delivery of connections and regulated independently by Ofgem. The distribution network is owned and operated by six Distribution Network Operators across Great Britain. The transmission network is owned by three Transmission Owners and operated by the National Energy System Operator.

Ministers have discussed with Ofgem the need to drive higher standards of service for energy customers.

Ofgem requires suppliers to ensure that payments are set to avoid building up excessive credit balances, including taking regular meter readings. Excess credit balances should be refunded promptly, upon request.

Direct debit payments are designed to be flat across the year, meaning that energy accounts tend to build up a credit balance over the summer, when energy use low, with the reverse occurring over the winter months.

The funding for IUK Business Growth core advisory activities for 2024-25 is £41.8m, servicing approximately 10,000 innovative businesses a year with light touch Growth, or more intensive High Growth/Scaling support, this data is published as part of Innovate UK’s “Transparency data”.

The Business Growth advisors (Full Time Equivalent) per region is as per the table below, the group marked national work cross-regionally:

The funding for IUK Business Growth core advisory activities for 2024-25 is £41.8m, servicing approximately 10,000 innovative businesses a year with light touch Growth, or more intensive High Growth/Scaling support, this data is published as part of Innovate UK’s “Transparency data”.

The Business Growth advisors (Full Time Equivalent) per region is as per the table below, the group marked national work cross-regionally:

Regionally organised business growth advisors (also known as innovation and growth specialists or scaleup directors) provide a comprehensive spectrum of innovation and commercial expertise to high-potential small to medium-sized innovation-driven companies. They help clients tackle priorities such as improving the innovation process, forging international business collaborations, becoming investment ready, and structuring for growth. Additionally, they act as a gateway to UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) range of support and significant regional, national, and international innovation resources.

The salaries of these business growth advisors are funded by Innovate UK, which is part of UKRI.

From its launch on 22 July 2024 to 15 January 2025, the Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) Resource Hub has been accessed by 869 unique users. The IPO has sought feedback from stakeholders to assess whether they have accessed, understood, and implemented the Resource Hub’s guidance. Stakeholders have indicated that the Hub has helped to reduce uncertainty around FRAND (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) licensing, particularly for small and medium enterprises, and encourage more informed negotiations between SEP holders and implementers. Further evaluation is being undertaken, both to help make improvements to the Hub and assess whether intended impacts have been achieved.

The Invest 2035 Green Paper, published on 14 October 2024, set out eight growth-driving sectors that will drive our Industrial Strategy. The Industrial Strategy, alongside Sector Plans for the growth-driving sectors, will be published in late Spring 2025. It is being designed in partnership with business, devolved governments, regions, and other stakeholders, as well as building on existing evidence gathered under the science and technology framework.

The Government is reviewing the growth-enabling role of technologies including quantum, artificial intelligence, engineering biology, semiconductors and future telecoms across the Industrial Strategy.

The government remains committed to supporting the UK Engineering Biology sector. DSIT will set out its spending plans in line with the Spending Review timelines set by HM Treasury, with departmental funding settlements being announced in the Spring

The Government recognises the importance of Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) to the UK economy and the objectives published in February 2024 continue to underpin the Intellectual Property Office’s (IPO) work. Delivering against those objectives, the IPO launched its SEPs Resource Hub on 22 July 2024 to help UK small and medium enterprises navigate the SEPs ecosystem.

The IPO continues to consider options that could help improve the functioning of the SEPs ecosystem. Any options requiring regulatory change would be part of a full, formal consultation. A final decision on holding a consultation would rest with Ministers.

The Government recognises the importance of Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) to the UK economy and the objectives published in February 2024 continue to underpin the Intellectual Property Office’s (IPO) work. Delivering against those objectives, the IPO launched its SEPs Resource Hub on 22 July 2024 to help UK small and medium enterprises navigate the SEPs ecosystem.

The IPO continues to consider options that could help improve the functioning of the SEPs ecosystem. Any options requiring regulatory change would be part of a full, formal consultation. A final decision on holding a consultation would rest with Ministers.

The total value of the spend requests considered for the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology and its Arm’s Length Bodies against the Digital Assurance Gateway as at the date of answering question 18934 was £98.2m. Consideration against the Gateway has been incorporated into a pre-existing weekly liaison meeting between Integrated Corporate Services and the Central Digital and Data Office and is dealt with via short discussions.

Contracts awarded for the activities in scope for Question 18934 as at the time of providing this response include Microsoft, Convergence/Extreme, Objective, IBM, Dextrous Web/Thoughtworks, Kerv, AWS and IBL.

Northumberland County Council expect this project to deliver over 1,600 direct jobs, including 1,200 long-term construction jobs, and over 2,700 indirect and induced jobs over the course of the development.

Building on our experience of delivering the UK-wide Strength in Places Fund, Innovation Accelerators and Launchpads programmes, we will develop a new local innovation funding programme that will bolster high potential clusters across the UK, including in non-Mayoral Strategic Authorities. We will work with areas that choose not to adopt the mayoral model, to increase innovation activity in regions both with and without devolution.

Universities are central to generating local economic growth. As magnets for talent and investment and anchors for clusters, they create centres of research and innovation excellence across the country. Enabling partnership working between local government, universities and businesses will be at the heart of our future regional innovation funding programme.

Enabling partnership working between local government, universities and businesses will be at the heart of our future regional innovation funding programme.

We are developing a new local innovation funding programme to support high potential innovation clusters across the country, with delivery timelines subject to the outcome of the next phase of the Spending Review.

Our new programme will build on our experience of delivering initiatives such as the Innovation Accelerator pilots. At Budget, we announced these would be extended into 2025/26, delivering funding and bespoke support to bolster high-potential innovation clusters in Greater Manchester, Glasgow City Region, and the West Midlands.

UKRI’s leadership and staff routinely engage with stakeholders across the UK. Additionally, UKRI has several teams focussed on regional engagement, including:

• Innovate UK’s place engagement team, including a Director, Deputy Director and ten full time manager positions at Innovate UK, who work with around 400 regionally-organised business growth advisers.
• EPSRC has a team of eight regional managers.
• Research England has a team of five engagement leads.
• Members of staff focused on the investment delivery of place programmes, such as the Strength in Places Fund and Innovation Accelerators.

Our ambition through the innovation commitments announced in the English Devolution White Paper is to generate innovation-led growth across the country, and help places make stronger contributions to a thriving national innovation ecosystem. Through UK Research and Innovation, we will support more local leaders, working in partnership with businesses and universities, to unlock their regions’ innovation potential.

The Spending Review settlement set out the overall R&D budget for my department, which is £13.9 billion for 2025/26. Further details of how this funding will be allocated will be announced in due course, and the next phase of the spending review will confirm multi-year budgets for innovation funding.

Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend, by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) on research and development (R&D) is as follows:

Due to the Machinery of Government change, and reporting of previous years’ spend alongside spend now reported under the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, disaggregated data for solely DSIT’s share pre-2019 is not currently available.

Both GCRF and the Newton Fund will come to a natural close by 31^st March 2025. The Government will allocate future ODA to Departments as part of its standard Spending Review process.

The Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access, and Growth (VPAG) Investment Programme is enabled by circa £400m of funding from scheme members over 5 years.

Approximately 75% of total Investment Programme funding will boost commercial clinical trials across the UK, including through the new Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDCs).

The CRCDs are a public-private investment which include funding from the VPAG Investment Programme and £71m additional funding in England from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

In June 2024, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology published updated guidance on the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), available to all staff via the intranet. The guidance provides a clear framework on the principles of the duty, compliance expectations, and conducting equality impact assessments. Staff were encouraged to use this resource to support their work.

In addition, a PSED training video was included in the Policy Foundation Programme, run on DSIT's behalf by the Integrated Corporate Services. The first cohort took place on 18th November 2024.

The Government incentivises university-business interactions through funding for UKRI programmes. Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF), provided through Research England is the largest source of knowledge exchange funding to English universities, providing £280 million annually to support engagement with a range of partners, including businesses. HEIF includes a £20 million contribution specifically for university-business collaboration and commercialisation. Innovate UK’s Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs)programme links businesses with technical experts in UK universities. Currently, around 800 businesses, 100 knowledge bases (universities and other research organisations) and over 800 graduates are involved in KTPs.

The Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (ATRS) establishes a standardised way for public sector organisations to publish information about how and why they are using algorithmic tools. The ATRS is mandatory for government departments and arm’s-length bodies (ALBs), for algorithmic tools which have a significant influence on a decision-making process with public effect, or directly interact with the general public.