Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he plans to take to support the Manchester Prize.

The Secretary of State was delighted to meet the Manchester Prize Round 1 finalists at a DSIT-hosted workshop. Hearing how their projects were progressing and understanding how these solutions could benefit the UK public and stimulate economic growth underlined the importance of the Manchester Prize to supporting innovation. DSIT has awarded these teams with £100,000 in funding, and an additional £90,000 for spending on compute, to develop solutions capable of winning the £1 million grand prize in early 2025.

We are also supporting teams with a non-financial package to maximise their chances of developing successful solutions, including access to relevant public sector organisations, innovator workshops and guidance on mitigating the ethical risks associated with their solutions. Even for teams who don't ultimately win the grand prize, this package of support is designed to place them in a strong position to grow and succeed.