Written question asked by Luke Akehurst (Labour) on Wednesday, 13 May 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 May 2026. It was answered by Luke Pollard (Labour) on Thursday, 21 May 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.
Defence: Software
- Question
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To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to defence research and development funding for small and medium‑sized businesses specialising in software, artificial intelligence, and data analytics.
- Answer
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UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) has been established to harness UK ingenuity and boost military technology, as part of the Government’s drive to turbocharge innovation in defence and deliver growth as part of the Plan for Change.
UKDI will be fully operational by July 2026 and will have a ringfenced budget of at least £400 million from financial year 2025-26 with the ambition for this to rise as UKDI becomes established.
The Ministry of Defence works closely with UK industry and academia, including Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME), to identify and invest in innovative technologies that address our most pressing capability challenges. This includes businesses specialising in software, artificial intelligence, and data analytics.
Secondary information
- Type
- Written question
- Reference
- 965
- Session
- 2026-27
- Subjects
- Defence Software Procurement Research Small businesses
- Link
- View this Written question on www.parliament.uk
Librarians' tools
- Timestamp
- 2026-05-21 09:31:32 +0100
- URI
- http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2026-27/965
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