Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for the UK's Science and Technology Network Overseas; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that network supports international cooperation on emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.

The UK's Science and Technology Network (STN) is jointly led and funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. In advance of the 2025 Spending Review, an assessment was undertaken to ensure the STN is adequately resourced securing the right capacity, capability and funding to deliver high impact outcomes for the UK.

The previously titled SIN was relaunched in February 2025 as the Science and Technology Network (STN) to reflect the rising focus on technologies including Artificial Intelligence. STN priorities are revisited annually to ensure the network is strategically aligned.