Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help increase innovation in the defence sector in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

The establishment of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) represents a fundamental shift in how the Ministry of Defence approaches innovation. The mission for UKDI is clear –to accelerate the delivery of cutting-edge capabilities so that the UK is both secured at home and strong abroad.

In September, UK Defence Innovation announced £1.5 million worth of funding over the next two years for Regional Defence and Security Clusters (RDSCs). The South-Central RDSC which covers Surrey, brings together industry, academia, and government to drive innovation and growth across the UK’s defence and security sectors. Supported by UKDI, RDSCs help bring world-leading primes together with innovative SMEs, start-ups, academia, and local and devolved government to solve military capability challenges.