Bringing together key policymakers and affected stakeholders to discuss the future of science and innovation policy, this timely conference is being held at a time of continuing uncertainty over the UK’s relationships with EU Science Programmes.
It also follows the Government’s commitments - in the Autumn Statement - to increase research spending by £2bn a year by 2020, a new Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund focused on ‘priority technologies’ such as robotics and biotechnology and a review of R&D tax incentives.
Topics for discussion will also include potential further reform of IP laws, improving access to finance for disruptive start-ups and ‘challenger businesses’, as well as how the UK can retain and continue to attract R&D-intensive businesses to operate here.
Sessions will also look wider at reforms to the structure of the Research Councils proposed in the Higher Education and Research Bill, and the implications of UK research funding priorities, including for key scientific infrastructure and the next steps for the Catapult Centre programme.