Recommendations & Conclusions
12 items
8
Recommendation
3rd Report - Flying Blind: Innovation, …
Not Addressed
The Government should incentivise complementarities between institutions in London, Oxford and Cambridge and those in other regions, such as through programmes to help spinout companies to scale up elsewhere in the country. Good practice examples include the partnership between the Universities of Cambridge and Manchester. The Government should put in …
Government response. The government partially agrees but its response fails to address the recommendation to incentivise complementarities between regional institutions or establish a mechanism for identifying spin-out scaling opportunities, instead discussing existing data transparency and R&D mapping.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
9
Recommendation
3rd Report - Flying Blind: Innovation, …
Not Addressed
The Government should publish a strategy setting out how it plans to exploit the full potential of the Oxford-to-Cambridge Growth Corridor – including locations outside these cities. This strategy should identify the existing and potential strengths of places between Oxford and Cambridge and set out plans to support them. (Recommendation, …
Government response. The government agrees with the recommendation but then provides a response entirely focused on UKRI's strategy to leverage private investment and improve R&D spending data quality, failing to address the specific request for a strategy for the Oxford-to-Cambridge Growth Corridor.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
10
Recommendation
3rd Report - Flying Blind: Innovation, …
Not Addressed
The Government should publish an assessment of whether funding to Golden Triangle institutions should be made contingent on projects having a quantifiable economic impact elsewhere. (Recommendation, Paragraph 33) 44
Government response. The government agrees with the recommendation and states they have published a national Spin-out Register and a UK university spin-out dashboard, with future iterations planned to include further economic impact measures. However, the response does not explicitly commit to the …
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
11
Recommendation
3rd Report - Flying Blind: Innovation, …
Not Addressed
The Government should appoint a minister to champion innovation in each region of the UK – not just the Golden Triangle. These ministers should be tasked with ensuring that regional needs, opportunities and interests are considered in decisions on investment and infrastructure. (Recommendation, Paragraph 34) Data and transparency
Government response. The government partially agrees but its response fails to address the specific recommendation to appoint a minister to champion innovation in each UK region, instead discussing existing funding for university knowledge exchange and piloted shared technology-transfer approaches.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
12
Conclusion
3rd Report - Flying Blind: Innovation, …
Not Addressed
The UK is flying blind when it comes innovation policy. It is unacceptable that the Government and UKRI cannot properly measure and map R&D spending and the accompanying private sector investment. Without clear, transparent measurement of what is being done and its impact, it is impossible to assess existing policies …
Government response. The government's response fails to address the committee's conclusion regarding the lack of proper measurement and mapping of R&D spending and private sector investment, instead discussing its support for investor-led vehicles and university commercialisation.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
14
Recommendation
3rd Report - Flying Blind: Innovation, …
Not Addressed
The Government and UKRI should, in response to this report, and on an annual basis thereafter, set out how the R&D budget will be allocated by sector, region and cluster. The Government should also, in its response to this report, and on an annual basis thereafter, set out the current …
Government response. The government's response fails to address the recommendation for annual reporting of R&D budget allocations and private sector investment by sector, region, and cluster, instead discussing proof-of-concept funding and spin-out support.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
16
Recommendation
3rd Report - Flying Blind: Innovation, …
Not Addressed
University spinouts play an important part in ensuring that the UK’s research base contributes to economic growth. However, academics at some institutions would benefit from greater flexibility in working structures as they start and grow their spinouts, and universities should be prepared to accept smaller returns on IP if it …
Government response. The government's response focuses entirely on the role and funding model of Catapults, arguing for their existing structure and regional impact, without addressing the committee's recommendation regarding university spinouts, academic flexibility, or universities accepting smaller returns on intellectual property.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
17
Recommendation
3rd Report - Flying Blind: Innovation, …
Not Addressed
The Government should accelerate delivery of the University Spinout Dashboard and commit to making it an annual publication. The dashboard should include standardised data on equity terms, intellectual property agreements, institutional support, and regional outcomes. (Recommendation, Paragraph 54)
Government response. The government agrees on the importance of transparent performance reporting but responds by detailing its approach to monitoring the Catapult Network's performance and impact, completely missing the recommendation regarding a University Spinout Dashboard.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
18
Conclusion
3rd Report - Flying Blind: Innovation, …
Not Addressed
Some university technology transfer offices have made a significant contribution to their local economies. Others, however, are underperforming, leaving academic founders without the support and expertise needed to scale. (Conclusion, Paragraph 57)
Government response. The government response discusses public procurement for innovation and defence investment in novel technologies, but does not address the committee's observation about underperforming university technology transfer offices.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
21
Recommendation
3rd Report - Flying Blind: Innovation, …
Not Addressed
The Government should establish a series of regional branches of the British Business Bank, with a substantial presence on the ground in undercapitalised regions, to ensure that the Bank’s policies are aligned with the needs of innovative businesses across the UK. (Recommendation,Paragraph 74)
Government response. The government states it 'partially agrees' but then discusses local growth plans, university-industry collaboration, and skills strategies, explicitly stating it will 'not commit to a Regional Graduate Retention Strategy' which was not the recommendation. The response does not address the …
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
22
Conclusion
3rd Report - Flying Blind: Innovation, …
Not Addressed
Taking risk and being rewarded for doing so are essential components of a dynamic, innovative economy and capital is essential to driving national, regional and local growth. Whilst the Government is limited in what it can do to influence the flow of capital across the economy, London, Oxford and Cambridge …
Government response. The government agrees on the importance of innovation diffusion and adoption, detailing programs like Made Smarter, BridgeAI, and Robotics Adoption Hubs, but the response does not directly address the committee's concerns about imbalanced venture capital flows and the inadequacy of …
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
30
Conclusion
3rd Report - Flying Blind: Innovation, …
Not Addressed
Infrastructure deficits can be a major barrier to scaling up innovation, commercialising research, and ultimately to regional growth. Planned reforms to the Green Book offer an opportunity to rebalance regional investment, but their impact will depend on effective implementation. Scientific infrastructure plans should be aligned with those for services such …
Government response. The government partially agrees in principle but provides a response focused on UKRI's existing infrastructure roadmap and exploring a new framework/toolkit for investment decisions. It does not specifically address aligning scientific infrastructure with transport plans or the effective implementation of …
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology