Recommendation 2

HM Government Accepted

The government agrees with this recommendation. Through the Innovation Hub, we have created a single portal to identify public funding and innovation support opportunities and will continue to improve it. This will allow innovators across the UK to navigate public funding and access support more easily. UKRI, principally through Innovate UK, play a central role in delivering a coherent innovation system, and to this end have created a single front door for businesses through the Innovation Hub. The Hub helps innovators identify appropriate funding, advisory services, and access schemes available through other partners across government. In its prospectus published 19 March, Innovate UK set out its plan to move towards a more integrated and hands-on model, with clearer sector focus, enhanced advisory and account management support, and a stronger role in validating innovation and connecting high potential businesses to investment. At the heart of this will be the ‘Velocity’ approach, which will provide high potential businesses with targeted support, connecting them to relevant opportunities through an account management service. This will be a part of a ‘no wrong door’ commitment across the public sector innovation system. Innovate UK will provide timely, targeted support: stepping in at the moments that matter most and removing friction at every stage. We agree on the importance of metrics around engagement with innovators too, which is why UKRI’s Corporate Plan Update for 2025–27 sets out objectives and key results that directly support improved access to innovation funding and stronger regional engagement. These include simplifying and improving the user experience for applicants; increasing the reach and effectiveness of business-facing support delivered through Innovate UK; and strengthening place-based innovation by supporting clusters, institutions and partnerships across the UK. UKRI will report against key results covering accessibility and efficiency of funding processes, breadth of engagement with businesses and innovators, and the contribution of innovation investment to economic growth and regional capability in their Annual Report and Accounts. Together, these objectives and metrics provide a clear basis for monitoring progress in reducing the complexity of UKRI’s offer and on UKRI’s levels of engagement with innovators nationwide in line with the Committee’s report. Objectives will also be supported by an uplift in engagement with strategic authorities as UKRI evolves towards a more integrated and coordinated approach working across its councils.