Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has plans to expand regional tech clusters in the North West of England; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of locating new innovation hubs in Fylde constituency.

My department is committed to enabling innovation-led growth throughout the UK.

UKRI invested £903 million in the North West in 2023-24. Funded activity in the region includes the £4.9 million, Lancaster University-led Cyber Focus project, and a project by Lytham-based Helical Technology to improve fault detection on mechanical assembly production lines.

Our new Local Innovation Partnership Fund will grow high potential clusters across the UK. It earmarks at least £30 million for each of the two Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities in the North West. All other places in the region will be eligible to bid into the competition.