Source · Select Committees · Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Rejected
The Government should establish a portal where innovators can be matched with suitable funding and...
Recommendation
The Government should establish a portal where innovators can be matched with suitable funding and support to help them cut through the current tangle of options. Innovate UK should announce targets for increasing engagement with innovators across the country, using metrics such as outreach and targeted support, more accessible and streamlined application processes, and additional support personnel in the regions. (Recommendation, Paragraph 22)
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation for a new portal and Innovate UK targets, arguing that existing mechanisms are more effective. It highlights embedded regional considerations in innovation policy, roles of senior figures like the Northern Growth Envoy, and regular engagement between ministers, UKRI, and local leaders, which they believe adequately addresses regional needs.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
The government disagrees with this recommendation. Ministers have UK- wide responsibilities and are accountable for ensuring that decisions on innovation, investment and infrastructure support national growth while reflecting the distinct needs, strengths and opportunities of different places across the UK. We have appointed senior figures who coordinate action for strategically important areas such as the Northern Growth Envoy and the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor Champion. Importantly, these roles are not limited solely to innovation activity but have a wider role in coordinating economic growth. This is why DSIT and UKRI are working closely with Northern Growth Corridor Envoy Tom Riordan to ensure DSIT’s investment portfolio delivers the objectives of the Northern Growth Strategy. Furthermore, consideration of regional impacts and requirements is already embedded in the way we develop and deliver innovation policy and investments. This includes targeted, place-based investment programmes; coordinated action across innovation, skills and infrastructure policy; and sustained engagement with mayoral combined authorities, devolved administrations and local leaders to ensure regional perspectives inform national decision-making. As part of DSIT’s English Devolution Framework commitments, the Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear meets annually with mayors of the Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities. UKRI has also put in place a more regular process of engagement between its executive chairs and local leaders, to build local partnerships and guide investment decisions over time. This approach is reflected in existing strategic frameworks, including the Northern Growth Strategy, which sets out a long-term, place-based plan to support productivity, innovation and business investment across the North of England. This sets out commitment to building local partnerships with mayoral authorities, to align the national innovation system with their plans for local growth. We consider this model to be more effective than the creation of additional, region-specific ministerial roles, which could fragment accountability and duplicate existing responsibilities. Chapter 4: Data and transparency