Recommendation 12

The Government must not overlook the semiconductor industry. Whilst we recognise the difficult fiscal picture in the UK, we call on Ministers to set up a new sector deal as the vehicle to work with industry to agree UK priorities and the best use of any public funds or support. This could be via additional funding or guarantees made available via the Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult, Innovate UK or the British Business Bank. The British Business Bank should lead on scale-up investment and capital investment from public and private sources, whilst the Catapult should continue to bridge the gap between research and industry, to support start-ups.