A Memorandum of Understanding formalising the agreed Joint UK-China Science, Technology & Innovation Strategy was signed by myself and my counterpart Vice Minister Wang Zhigang of the Chinese Ministry of Science & Technology at a ceremony at the Royal Society on 6^th December.

In the Autumn Statement 2016 the Government announced that we will make Britain the global go-to nation for scientists, innovators and tech investors, by investing an extra £2 billion a year in R&D by 2020/21. This funding is in addition to the protection of the science resource budget in real terms from its 2015/16 level of £4.7 billion that was announced at the Spending Review in Autumn 2015, where the government also committed to invest in new scientific infrastructure on a record scale – £6.9 billion over the period 2015-2021.

The South West has received €300 million of Horizon 2020 funding to date. The government has committed to underwrite all Horizon 2020 awards, even when specific projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU. The decision to underwrite the grants of competitively bid for EU research funding will give British participants and their EU partners the assurance and certainty needed to plan ahead for projects that can run over many years.

This Government intends to secure the best possible outcome for the UK research base as we exit the European Union. We would welcome an agreement to continue to collaborate with our European partners on major science, research, and technology initiatives. However, whatever happens in the future, the Government is committed to ensuring the UK, including the South West, remains world leading in international research and innovation.

Will my right hon. Friend set out how he intends to shape the regulatory environment as we leave the European Union, including through such things as visa allocation, to ensure that the United Kingdom remains at the forefront of the technological revolution?

Many of those focused on driving forward the fourth industrial revolution are in new sectors such as robotics and 3D printing. Can the Minister ensure that the industrial strategy’s sector engagement includes new, innovative challengers, not just incumbents?

The UK has a strong history in science, research and innovation, with an eco-system that fosters talent by providing opportunity in both industry and academia.

We are committed to ensuring that Britain is the best place in Europe to innovate, patent new ideas and start a business, including tech businesses. Our academic base holds 16% of the world’s most highly cited papers, generated from only 1% of the world population. Innovate UK provides support to innovative businesses to help them develop ideas and recruit and retain tech talent.

The UK has a long and strong history in science, research and innovation, and a world-leading reputation, being ranked third in the Global Innovation Index in 2016. We have protected the science resource budget in real terms from its 2015/16 level of £4.7 billion for the rest of the parliament. Looking ahead, we want to ensure that the excellent work being done by our researchers, universities and innovative businesses continues. The Government has committed to underwrite payment of EU research funding for specific projects even when they continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills supports the research and development of machine learning through the Research Councils, for example the current Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council portfolio contains nearly 150 research and training grants involving aspects of artificial intelligence.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council’s Hartree Centre uses high performance computing combined with big data analytics, cognitive computing and visualisation techniques to collaborate with industry and research partners. The latest government investment of £113 million at Hartree in a cognitive and data centric computing centre (announced in the 2014 Autumn Statement) has attracted inward investment from IBM and other hi-tech industry exceeding £200 million.

Research Councils also support existing machine learning applications, for example the Medical Research Council support programmes which involve the use of machine learning tools for image analysis and in analysing and predicting risk of Serious Adverse Events for hospital patients.

The Arts and Humanities Research Council also support aspects of research and development on machine learning relating to its importance within the rapidly emerging field of the digital humanities and issues relating to ethical, philosophical, legal and historical perspectives of machine learning and human-computer interactions.

All Grand Challenges Fund projects are subject to detailed business cases in accordance with HM Treasury requirements. The projects are evaluated by analytical, finance and project specialists within BIS, and the relevant Research Council.

Evidence underpinning the “Eight Great Technologies” was set out in the Eight Great Technologies pamphlet accompanying David Willetts’ speech of the 24^th of January 2013 [Eight Great Technologies, David Willetts, Policy Exchange 2013].

Projects that form part of the Grand Challenges programme are supported from the £6.9 billion science capital budget, which was subject to a public consultation launched in December 2014.

Innovate UK and the Research Councils work together to explore and develop new approaches for moving potentially high impact technologies more rapidly from the research base into commercial reality.

The main assessment criteria for deciding priorities for the list of 8 Great Technologies were:

a. The technology has to be an important area of scientific advance;

b. Britain has to have a distinctive capability in this area; and,

c. the technology should have reached the stage where identifiable commercial opportunities are emerging.

These criteria were published, together with additional evidence and analysis, in the pamphlet accompanying David Willetts’ speech of the 24th of January 2013 [Eight Great Technologies, David Willetts, Policy Exchange 2013]:

Projects and programmes under the 8 Great Technologies banner are subject to their own evaluation processes as appropriate.

The Grand Challenges assessment criteria were published as part of a public consultation document in May 2014 (these being: excellence, affordability, impact, skills and leverage). Along with the published consultation criteria, additional criteria such as value for money and deliverability are used to assess Grand Challenge projects.

All of the Grand Challenges relate either to the Eight Great Technologies and/or to objectives published in the Science and Innovation Strategy December 2014.

The Government identified “8 Great Technologies” in autumn 2012 to highlight key emerging technologies for the UK and increased investment by £600 million to accelerate their application and commercialisation.

The table provides a non-exclusive list of projects and programmes funded by BIS through Research Councils and InnovateUK relating to the “8 Great Technologies” from the time of publication to January 2015.

We do not routinely keep records classifying all publically-funded projects and programmes since 2010 according to the 8 Great Technologies, and it would only be possible to provide this information at a disproportionate cost.

Big Data:

Satellites and Commercial Applications of Space:

Robotics and Autonomous Systems:

Synthetic Biology:

Regenerative Medicine

Agri-Science

Advanced Materials:

Energy Storage:

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 7 July 2015 to the hon. Member for Streatham (Chuka Umunna) to Question UIN 5250.

The Government and its delivery partner the Medical Research Council (MRC), remains committed to open access to research publications in line with the recommendations of the 2012 Finch Group Report.

Research Councils UK (RCUK) has published guidance agreed by all of the parties involved in the Finch Group. An independent panel set up by RCUK published a review of implementation of open access in March 2015, and later this summer RCUK will issue its response which will describe how the MRC and other research councils will address the issues identified. A UK Open Access Co-ordination Group was set up to inform and guide implementation of the changes, including publishers, funders, and other key interests.

The research councils recognise access to underlying research data complements open access to research publications. RCUK recently published further guidance on best practice in the management of research data which applies to MRC funded research in universities, research organisations and the MRC’s own research units and institutes. The Government welcomes the production of a Concordat on Open Data agreed across the research community, which will be published this summer.

Responsibility for managing technologies and other intellectual property resulting from MRC investments rests with the organisation that generates them. It is the responsibility of the research organisation, and all engaged in the research, to make every reasonable effort to ensure that the intellectual assets obtained in the course of the research are used to the benefit of society and the economy.

Emerging technologies have the potential to deliver productivity gains to a variety of sectors and enhance quality of life. In 2012, the Government identified “8 Great Technologies” – including regenerative medicine, big data and advanced materials - to highlight key emerging areas for the UK and increased investment by £600 million to accelerate their application and commercialisation.

But new technologies continue to be developed and the 8 Great list is neither exclusive nor exhaustive. This is why we continue to work with partners to review emerging technologies in important areas in which the UK excels both within and beyond this list. For example, we have invested more than £100 million across the country for research and infrastructure in graphene as an advanced material; and £270 million in quantum technologies.

Through Innovate UK, the Government is supporting business innovation and we have established a network of elite Catapult Centres to commercialise new and emerging technologies in areas where there are large global market opportunities and a critical mass of UK capability.

In addition, BSI, the UK’s National Standard Body, has worked with Innovate UK to publish new standards in areas of technology where innovative UK companies can gain a commercial advantage.

The Government remains committed to open access to research publications in line with the recommendations of the 2012 Finch Group Report. Since Finch, the Government has provided £47m to support the transition to increased open access. A survey by the Publishers Association reported that within one year, as a result of UK policy, 70% of journals published open access immediately (‘Gold’) or included a Gold open access option, and 96% of journals had an embargo period of 24 months or less and 64% an embargo period of 12 months or less.

Research Councils UK (RCUK) has published guidance agreed by all of the parties involved in the Finch process. A panel set up by RCUK published a review of implementation of open access on 26 March 2015 and RCUK will issue its response in the summer. A UK Open Access Co-ordination Group has been set up to inform and guide implementation, including publishers, funders, and other key interests.

The Government recognises access to underlying research data as a complementary need to open access to research publications. We welcome the production of a Concordat on Open Data agreed across the research community, which will be published this summer.

The requested information is included in the table. This shows expenditure by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its partner bodies Research Councils UK (RCUK), the Science and Technology Facilities Council, the Natural Environment Research Council and the UK Space Agency. The figures in the table include all of the UK Space Agency’s Education Programme and all of the RCUK Public Engagement with Research programme. Expenditure on general careers advice not targeted at STEM is not included.