The UK’s science and research strengths are central to this Government’s mission to deliver economic growth, raise productivity and improve living standards. To realise that ambition, the research and innovation system must attract, retain and support the very best talent. DSIT is investing over £5 billion in research talent over the Spending Review period, including funding for prestigious fellowships and studentships through UKRI and the National Academies, and the £54 million Global Talent Fund launched last summer to attract top researchers and their teams. DSIT has also recently launched a new voluntary Women in Research Charter which includes a headline commitment of a minimum standard on family leave for doctoral researchers, as well as commitments to enabling more flexible working, eliminating bias from grant and job application processes, and ensuring inclusive workplace cultures.

The UK‑Germany Strategic Science and Technology Partnership is designed to strengthen bilateral collaboration on key technologies, providing opportunities for researchers and businesses in the UK, including those based in Northern Ireland, to benefit from leading cutting-edge research and development with German partners. All relevant UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) initiatives, such as the lead agency agreement between the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the German Research Foundation, are open to applicants from across the whole of the UK.

The UK‑Germany Strategic Science and Technology Partnership was launched alongside the Kensington Treaty in July 2025 to accelerate the development of transformative technologies through closer UK-Germany collaboration. Early outcomes include £6 million joint funding for quantum research and development, investment in applied photonics research in Glasgow to help businesses bring new products to market, and an AI partnership between centres in Edinburgh and Stuttgart to speed up AI adoption in industry and the public sector.

What discussions she has had with the science and technology sector on closer regulatory alignment with the EU.

European tech leaders in some member states are concerned that the EU’s approach to digital regulation is strangling their ability to compete. Will the Minister rule out binding the UK tech industry to a legal framework that could stifle growth in this vital area of the economy?

Diolch yn fawr, Mr Llywydd. Ministers from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology regularly meet representatives from science and technology communities. The UK has seized the moment on AI, quantum and semiconductors. We will keep building British sovereign strength, and alongside that, we will work with allies across the European Union.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 26 March 2026 to Question UIN 122902, on 14 April 2026 to Question UIN 124177, and on 16 April 2026 to Question UIN 123983.

Science diplomacy plays an important role in building UK technology sovereignty through international partnerships with partners which strengthen our shared capabilities, resilience and security.

Our Science & Technology Network, covering 65 locations, is a core pillar of the UK’s science diplomacy toolkit, which aims to develop and strengthen our partnership with international partners.

We have science and technology partnerships with a broad range of countries including the US and EU, Japan, India, South Korea, Switzerland, France and Germany. We are also active members of multilateral fora including OECD, G7 and G20. These partnerships are part of helping us ensure sovereign strengths and strengths through stable collaboration.

While the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) recognise that the retirement of the Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM) is a significant decision for the atmospheric science community, this is not reflective of any decrease in the value of atmospheric science, and reflects a strategic shift to sustain UK leadership in this domain within a rapidly evolving technological landscape. The Government remains committed to maintaining world class capabilities in environmental science and ensuring that public investment is most effectively directed where it delivers the greatest long-term impact. UKRI is engaging closely with affected staff and institutions to manage the transition responsibly and to retain expertise within the wider atmospheric science system wherever possible.

Science diplomacy supports UK technology sovereignty by building international partnerships which strengthen our capabilities, resilience and security. This is underpinned by our Science & Technology Network covering 65 locations which strengthens UK growth, security and global influence.

DSIT regularly assesses the impacts of our international collaboration on our science and technology capability. For example, internationally coauthored UK papers consistently outperform UK only research on citation impact.

We have partnerships with a broad range of countries including the US and EU, Japan, India, South Korea, Switzerland, France and Germany. We are also active members of multilateral fora including OECD, G7 and G20.

The Government Office for Science does not publish its own Areas of Research Interests (ARIs). It instead provides advice and input to Departments, who are each responsible for developing and updating their own ARI. The latest version of each Department’s ARI is then made available on the gov.uk collection page.

DSIT does not lead defence or security cooperation with Ukraine, which is driven by other government departments under the 100 Year Partnership. DSIT is supporting Ukrainian and UK researchers and businesses through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) grants and Horizon Europe funding, which offer routes for scientific exchange.

DSIT assesses that there are multiple elements of UK collaboration between government, academia and industry that support Ukraine’s long‑term technological development, reaffirmed by the Prime Minister during the UK‑Ukraine Strategic Dialogue on 17 March. These include, but are not limited to: TechBridge, which connects tech businesses and has helped Ukrainian startups secure over £10 million in funding; ResearchBridge, which links researchers in priority areas to build sustainable partnerships; deepening cooperation between our space agencies on joint projects to support the peaceful uses of outer space; and work with Ukraine on digital transformation and cooperation on AI to provide best‑in‑class public services.

The “Drayson partitions” policy established in 2010, prior to the formation of UKRI, was to avoid tensioning parts of the Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC) portfolio in an inappropriate way, whilst acknowledging that tensioning different portfolio elements is a very necessary part of managing research and innovation investment.

These are not and have never been used as a ringfencing mechanism and crucially do not provide recourse to additional funds when cost pressures arise. Funding lines have been, and continue to be, independent and distinct, but cost pressures have always been dealt with across the portfolio.

Britain has a world-leading creative sector and an AI economy second only to the US and China. Will the Secretary of State tell me how she is promoting and protecting both industries?

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has not made a specific assessment of the potential economic impact of expanding the Boulby Underground Laboratory to host the XLZD experiment on the economies of Yorkshire or the North East.

The Department recognises the role of Boulby Underground Laboratory as the UK’s deep underground science facility, and the contribution it makes to the local area. STFC have invested over £30 million in the laboratory and the research taking place there over the last ten years alone.

All investments are based on an analysis of scientific and economic impact, as well as wider portfolio balance. Broader UKRI investment decisions will be announced in due course.

Transparent targets and milestones and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the delivery of the Replacing Animals in Science Strategy will be published later in 2026. It is not yet possible to replace all animal use due to the complexity of biological systems and regulatory requirements for their use. Any work to phase out animal testing must be science-led, in lock step with partners, so we will not be setting arbitrary timelines for overall reduction, but we will publish timelines for specific actions.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has committed to £58.5 billion investment in R&D over the next 4 years. This includes at least £5 billion to support research talent, including early career researchers, as well as £14 billion allocated to applicant-led, curiosity-driven research in UKRI that underpins long-term scientific capability and economic growth.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) within UKRI is currently working with the sector to model different spending scenarios for its portfolio in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics (PPAN). No final spending decisions relating to STFC’s PPAN portfolio have been made. The impacts of different modelled scenarios will be considered alongside feedback from the sector when taking final decisions.

More generally, DSIT has asked UKRI to ensure that its allocation decisions are informed by meaningful consultation with the scientific research community and a robust assessment of potential consequences for the UK’s scientific capability and international standing.

The Government has made no formal assessment of the impact of pharmaceutical and medical device R&D site closures on trends in the UK’s scientific research capacity since 2010.

The Government does monitor the health of the UK life sciences sector, including R&D performed by UK businesses. Office for National Statistics data shows £9.3 billion of pharmaceutical R&D was performed by UK businesses in 2024, accounting for almost 17% of all R&D undertaken by UK businesses.

We are actively working with industry to boost the UK’s competitiveness and significantly grow the volume of private sector R&D and manufacturing in the UK over the next decade. For instance, the up to £520 million Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund and the pilot £50m Transformational R&D Investment Fund, which are supporting companies like UCB to invest in innovative early manufacturing in the UK.