Written question asked by Mike Wood (Conservative) on Friday, 10 April 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 14 April 2026. It was answered by Luke Pollard (Labour) on Monday, 20 April 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Defence: Innovation and Research

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's document entitled MOD Area of Research Interest, published on 15 January 2018, what plans his Department has to update this document.

Answer: We recognise the importance of the MOD Areas of Research Interest (ARI) in signalling Defence priorities and enabling effective engagement with the UK research community. The Department is therefore updating the MOD ARI to ensure they clearly reflect current Defence and national security priorities, and to strengthen our partnership with academia. This work is being taken forward as part of a renewed focus on closer, more strategic collaboration with the UK academic community, including through the establishment of the Defence Universities Alliance. We expect to publish updated ARI before summer 2026.

Secondary information