Recommendation 10

Although sector teams within the Department for Business, Energy & Industry Strategy and the Department for International Trade work together, officials at both departments consider there is scope for a better joint understanding of how to exploit emerging opportunities in overseas markets.21 The Department noted that there is a high correlation between innovating, high productivity and exporting, and that it does work with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). However, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) considers that there needs to be better links between innovation funding and export finance.22 The Department acknowledged that not everybody in UKRI is fully aware of what support a company needs to export and that its own staff may not consider what innovation funding is available when working with businesses.23 Lack of robust metrics