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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to para 5.65 of the Autumn Statement, CP 751, published on 17 November 2022, whether any new Catapults will be created.

The £1.6bn funding announced on 17 November 2022 will allow Innovate UK to fund the UK’s 9 Catapults to continue supporting innovation and de-risking the transition from research to commercialisation by providing access to world-leading facilities, skills, and equipment across the UK.

Innovate UK are responsible for ensuring the UK’s 9 Catapults are maximising industrial R&D, co-investment and benefit to the UK economy and any new Catapults would need to be assessed against criteria for new Catapults to ensure they are addressing market failures or clear strategic opportunities and would be subject to sustainable funding plus Ministerial agreement.