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Written question asked by Stuart Anderson (Conservative) on Friday, 28 August 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. It was answered by Luke Pollard (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 September 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Defence: Dual Use Goods and Technologies and Innovation

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 61 of the SDR, what progress the Defence Investors’ Advisory Group has made on (a) boosting investment in the defence and duel-use technology sectors and (b) supporting new entrants and innovation.

Answer

Delivering on the commitments set out in the SDR , DIS, and DIP, we are developing a Defence Finance and Investment Strategy (DFIS), which set out how we will break down barriers and open new avenues for innovation.

The Defence Investors' Advisory Group supports this work by bringing together senior leaders from venture capital, private equity and banking to provide independent advice on investment priorities and private capital mobilisation. Its input has helped shape the DFIS's approach to investment priorities, trusted capital, role for public financial institutions and implementation pathway.

To support new entrants and innovation, we have established UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) with a ringfenced annual budget of £400M to help high-growth UK and allied SMEs access capital and attract private co-investment. As of October 2025, 11 SMEs receiving £9 million of Innovation Loan funding also raised a further £29 million in private finance while 42% of the 72 businesses supported secured £85.4M in follow-on investment.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
21543
Session
2026-27
Related items
Deposited Paper DEP2025-0341
Monday, 2 June 2025
Deposited papers
House of Commons
Subjects
Defence Finance Innovation Dual use goods and technologies
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk