Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the keynote speech made by the Minister for Science, Research and Innovation at Onward UK on 11 January 2023, where the 30 clusters of unique R&D strength are; and if his Department will publish the location and specialist strength of those clusters.

There are clusters of innovation across the UK, from the Newcastle digital cluster to the compound semiconductor cluster in South Wales. BEIS is working closely with other departments and partner organisations such as UKRI to map these and ensure we have as rigorously evidenced and current a list as possible. This includes commissioning research that will use innovative data science techniques to map firms performing R&D and innovation in the UK and explain how they cluster. We will publish this in a report and interactive tool later this year, which will help investors understand opportunities to support our strengths.