Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
Recommendation 19
19
Accepted
Paragraph: 107
A significant further challenge is a “scaling-up gap”, whereby new innovations are developed with the...
Conclusion
A significant further challenge is a “scaling-up gap”, whereby new innovations are developed with the help of research and development or seed funding, but making the leap to widespread use and commercialisation of those innovations is much more difficult.
Government Response Summary
The government states it already works across departmental boundaries to help SMEs, maximize maritime exports, and provides examples of existing programs such as the Maritime Capability Campaign Office, Help to Grow Management UK, and the Made Smarter programme.
Paragraph Reference:
107
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Government agrees with the recommendation and works across departmental boundaries to help SMEs to develop their business skills, including in the maritime sector. We work across Whitehall to maximise the UK’s maritime exports and inward investment priorities, identifying investment and trade opportunities, and leveraging the wider Government initiatives and expertise to grow the Maritime trade sector. Examples of Government activity aimed at supporting the development of business skills are set out below. DfT works closely with DBT’s Maritime Capability Campaign Office (MCCO) which supports small and medium enterprises grow their export and international investment potential. DBT also offers the Help to Grow Management UK, which provides support for local and regional businesses (including small and mid-size enterprises) to access skills programmes, and the Made Smarter programme, which supports local manufacturers to innovate and grow with a focus on technology. To enable commercialisation of the maritime industry’s innovations, MarRI-UK was established in 2019 with £580k of initial operational funding from DfT. MarRI-UK