Source · Select Committees · Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
3rd Report - Flying Blind: Innovation, Growth and the Regions
Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
HC 538
Published 13 March 2026
Recommendations
4
Accepted in Part
The Government should publish annual data covering the performance and impact of innovation clusters.
Recommendation
The Government should publish annual data covering the performance and impact of innovation clusters. These should set out any gaps around infrastructure, skills, and commercialisation outcomes and detail how public investment is being used across different parts of the country. …
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Government Response Summary
The government 'partially agrees' with the recommendation, focusing its response solely on the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor, detailing infrastructure investments and an investment prospectus for that specific cluster, but it does not commit to publishing annual data on the performance and impact of innovation clusters across the country as broadly recommended.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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13
Accepted in Part
Future disclosures of departmental R&D spending should include breakdowns by region and cluster.
Recommendation
Future disclosures of departmental R&D spending should include breakdowns by region and cluster. The Government and UKRI should also develop a framework for tracking impact and publish annual regionally disaggregated reports that set out how public R&D funding supports innovation …
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Government Response Summary
The government partially agrees, highlighting the British Business Bank's (BBB) regional investment funds and new funding for East, South-East, and ten innovation clusters, which aim to ensure access to finance for innovative businesses across the UK. However, it does not explicitly commit to publishing the specific departmental R&D spending breakdowns or company-level data as requested.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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27
Accepted in Part
The Government and Innovate UK should develop a standardised and transparent set of performance indicators...
Recommendation
The Government and Innovate UK should develop a standardised and transparent set of performance indicators for the Catapults. These should include measures of industry engagement, commercialisation outcomes, support for technology and innovation adoption, regional economic impact, and wider societal benefits …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the importance of clear performance reporting and states Catapults already use standardized KPIs, but commits to expanding data collection for innovation adoption and regional outcomes, and will implement an improved measurement approach before April 2028.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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29
Accepted in Part
The Government should encourage the development of specialist investor capability in science and tech across...
Recommendation
The Government should encourage the development of specialist investor capability in science and tech across the UK, particularly in strategic deep tech sectors such as quantum. It should support the development of regional investor and investment readiness training programmes, expand …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the intent, committing to stimulate private investment through the ProQure programme, expand the British Business Bank's capacity with £2.5 billion/year from 2026/27 to build specialist investor ecosystems, and develop specialist fund managers via a Venture Capital Fellowship and regional events, but it rejects the creation of investor envoys.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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31
Accepted in Part
The Government should publish a long-term strategy for science infrastructure investment.
Recommendation
The Government should publish a long-term strategy for science infrastructure investment. It should instruct the British Business Bank to ring-fence a percentage of its funds to support the development of innovation infrastructure in partnership with the private sector. (Recommendation, Paragraph …
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Government Response Summary
The government partially agrees with the recommendation. It points to an existing UKRI roadmap guiding infrastructure investment up to 2030 and states DSIT is exploring options for a new framework. However, it rejects instructing the British Business Bank to ring-fence funds, arguing it would duplicate functions of the National Wealth Fund.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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32
Accepted in Part
UKRI should revise its Infrastructure Roadmap to include a detailed mapping of existing capabilities, identify...
Recommendation
UKRI should revise its Infrastructure Roadmap to include a detailed mapping of existing capabilities, identify underserved regions, and prioritise infrastructure development that supports economic resilience and long-term growth. (Recommendation, Paragraph 102)
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Government Response Summary
The government partially agrees, citing past UKRI work on an infrastructure roadmap and landscape analysis. It commits to exploring options for a framework and toolkit to support R&D infrastructure investment decisions, but does not explicitly commit to revising the roadmap with all the specific details requested.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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42
Accepted in Part
The Government should, in its response to this report, and on an annual basis thereafter,...
Recommendation
The Government should, in its response to this report, and on an annual basis thereafter, set out a framework to clarify the roles and responsibilities of sub-national authorities in the innovation landscape, particularly in areas that do not yet have …
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Government Response Summary
The government partially agrees with the aim of the recommendation but states a new framework is not required at this time. It argues existing actions through the English Devolution White Paper, Investment Zones, and UKRI reforms already support local leaders and address the committee's objectives.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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Conclusions (1)
1
Conclusion
Accepted in Part
Even in a digital age, physical proximity remains key to innovation and its commercialisation and absorption. Geographic clusters can drive productivity, foster concentrated networks of expertise, infrastructure and collaboration, and support regional growth, which is economically and politically important. Yet their success relies on sustained investment, established infrastructure and skills …
Government Response Summary
The government partially agrees, acknowledging the importance of a coordinated approach and impact tracking, but states a separate national framework for cluster development is not currently required. They commit to developing a more robust monitoring approach, including updating the Innovation Clusters Map this autumn to track priority cluster performance and R&D investment, and expanding the scope of data collected for future updates.