Building a Science and Technology superpower

The Office for Science and Technology Strategy (OSTS) was established in Cabinet Office in late 2021 with the remit of harnessing science and technology for UK strategic advantage. OSTS supports the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), a ministerial council chaired by the Prime Minister, and will initially focus on supporting four science and technology areas:

1. Sustainable environment
2. Health and life sciences
3. National security and defence, including space
4. A digitally and data driven economy

OSTS is setting out ambitious recommendations: ten big things to deliver a step change in UK innovation, from developing the skills base needed for key technology areas, to transforming public procurement to pull through innovative solutions to market. This work has the potential to deliver real benefits for businesses in the UK, streamlining government support, removing barriers and roadblocks to growth, and engaging government departments that don’t traditionally have responsibility for innovation.

The CBI has long been calling for better join up across government levers to support innovation. We are keen to support the OSTS team to deliver on these ambitions, ensuring active partnership with business is baked into their approach.

CBI engagement with OSTS so far

In September the CBI’s Innovation team delivered a ‘teach in’ session for the new OSTS, aiming to kick off a programme of business engagement with the team as they develop delivery plans over the coming months.

We shared member stories of business innovation in practice, explaining how government support had catalysed innovation but also illustrating barriers to growth, from the slow development of regulation preventing the development of thriving markets, to delays in local authority approvals for new lab and manufacturing spaces. The teach in was an opportunity to set out business’ priorities for OSTS’s ten big focus areas, which cut across CBI’s policy work, from international relationships to public procurement. We also discussed ways the CBI could work with OSTS to ensure it delivers on its ambitions.

The CBI is particularly keen to support OSTS in developing long-term priorities that go beyond the timeline of political cycles, as well as ensuring routes for business partnership on OSTS work.

Want to share your business insight?

The CBI will continue to work with OSTS in the coming months to ensure its delivery plans are informed and shaped by businesses.

Contact Nicola, the CBI’s Head of Innovation, to feed into this work, for example by sharing examples of where your innovation has been catalysed or blocked by government action, and to shape an environment that unleashes UK innovation.