Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of how the model of global collaborative funding for covid-19 research can be used in other research areas.

International collaboration has been a vital part of the response to Covid-19 and the UK has played a leading role globally. BEIS, alongside other Government Departments, funded the creation of the Covid Circle platform that enables researchers to access and understand international funding opportunities specifically related to Covid-19.

More broadly the Integrated Review, R&D Roadmap, and Innovation Strategy all highlight how international collaboration can support a dynamic and innovative UK and support strategic priorities.

This is why we are working with colleagues across HMG to develop an International Science & Technology Partnerships Framework to share cross-government interests in international R&D and the landscape of global opportunities and challenges.