Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made since the publication of the Strategic Defence Review in seeding early-stage research.

As part of the NAD Group's move towards a portfolio approach, a greater emphasis on early-stage research is being delivered, allowing it to be commissioned in a simpler manner and with greater linkage to military problems. This complements both the additional £400 million for UK Defence Innovation, and the launch of the Defence Universities Alliance.