Recommendation 16

The government’s move towards prioritising specific technologies in sectors such as space represents a welcome shift away from a broad- based approach. However, its current approach to specialisation remains high level and insufficiently defined in areas we examined, including space and quantum. The rationale underpinning these priorities is not clearly articulated, and there is limited transparency about how decisions have been made. As a result, it is difficult to assess whether the selected areas reflect the UK’s comparative strengths or maximise long-term strategic advantage. (Conclusion, Paragraph 68)