Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with small business organisations on the performance of Innovate UK.

Supporting innovative small firms is a key objective of the government’s growth mission. My department regularly engages with business organisations to understand the needs of their members. 86% of Innovate UK grant funding goes to SMEs, with 8,000 SMEs supported in 2023 that were new to Innovate UK funding. Innovate UK’s connections to SMEs and innovators include 600+ skilled innovation & growth specialists across the UK through IUK Business Growth and IUK Business Connect. This network supports more than 10,000 SMEs a year on their innovation journey.