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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps his Department has taken to help increase investment in the science manufacturing sector.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) supports businesses to innovate and grow. For example, through the Made Smarter Innovation Challenge which helps manufacturers capitalise on new digital technologies. The Catapult Network receives some funding through Innovate UK, part of UKRI, and over half of the £1.2 billion funding for 2018/2023 is allocated to the High-Value Manufacturing Catapult which supports industry to develop new manufacturing technologies.

The Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund, announced in March 2022, will provide £60 million in capital grants for investment in the manufacture of human medicines, medical diagnostics and MedTech products, building on its predecessor, the Medicines & Diagnostics Manufacturing Transformation Fund