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 the Innovation Strategy, what steps has his Department taken to facilitate interactions between businesses and (a) UK Research and Innovation and (b) other public bodies.

In the development of the Innovation Strategy, the Department worked across Government, engaging at both Ministerial and official level and with over 400 businesses and organisations across the whole of the UK.

The Innovation Expert Group, which was announced as part of the R&D Roadmap in 2020, featured representatives from innovative UK businesses and business-focused trade bodies. It played a key role in supporting the development of the UK Innovation Strategy by facilitating conversations between officials from across Whitehall and a broad spectrum of UK businesses. The discussions generated continue to help us to refine government's innovation policy thinking.

Since the Innovation Strategy was published, the Department has continued a high level of engagement with businesses.

In addition, in early 2022 and as announced in the Innovation Strategy, we will establish the Business Innovation Forum with representatives from the UK's largest R&D intensive businesses, UK startups and scaleups, and experts in the funding and commercialisation of innovation. The forum will galvanise action from the business community and provide an opportunity for officials from UKRI and other public bodies to interact with key innovation stakeholders in addition to the interaction they already undertake with industry.

The Department will also continue to facilitate bilateral conversations with UK businesses on innovation policy this year.