Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to The UK’s International Technology Strategy, published on 22 March 2023, CP 810, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of (a) establishing and (b) running the Technology Centre of Expertise; by what criteria priority nations for delivering an International Technology Strategy implementation plan were identified; and whether his Department plans to publish a list of those nations.

The FCDO has an opening budget of £1.8 million of Official Development Assistance (ODA) from existing allocations to establish the Technology Centre of Expertise. A business case is being developed to agree the future spend profile.

The International Technology Strategy commits us to delivering a prioritised set of technology-based partnerships with key partners around the world. We will take an effective, coordinated and strategic approach to the partnerships we invest in to deliver mutually beneficial objectives and to achieve the UK's technology ambitions and secure the UK's place as a science and technology superpower.