Are international regulatory frameworks and technical standards currently helping or hindering UK innovators in achieving scale? How do key stakeholders rate our regulatory system compared to international competitors? How active / influential has the UK been in shaping international efforts to establish regulations and standards? Have UK industry and government built new capabilities / coalitions, effective in shaping global technical standards? 

Background

"Technology Strategy

As the team has a broad remit, there are a range of different areas of evidence needs. These are likely to be areas of ongoing enquiry, as we seek to keep abreast of market and technological developments. We are also interested in the interaction of these issues e.g. with systems approaches.


Evidence challenges
One of the main challenges we have is that SIC codes do not readily permit us to do analysis of technology sectors, so we need to use specialist datasets, bespoke studies or natural language processing to enable us to collect data on the issues.

We work with technology experts to define classifying methods.

How evidence is used
We already have databases on business activity and equity funding in the team, with access to other datasets across the Department on research activity, exports, skills, patents, IP, etc. We are nevertheless always interested in hearing about new data developments in this space.

We also have evidence from commissioned studies, and call for evidence responses.
"

Next steps

If you are keen to register your interest in working and connecting with DSIT Science, Innovation, and Research Directorate, and/or submitting evidence, then please complete the DSIT-ARI Evidence survey - https://dsit.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cDfmK2OukVAnirs

Link to ARIs : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-science-innovation-and-technology-areas-of-research-interest/dsit-areas-of-research-interest-2024

Related UKRI funded projects


  • Boosting the Exploitation of Standardisation Inputs from European Projects

    Contributions from industry, research and end-users, involving experts that represent diverse stakeholders are crucial for the standardisation development. However, the standards-making process and rules are sometimes at...

    Funded by: Horizon Europe Guarantee

    Why might this be relevant?

    Partially relevant as it focuses on standardisation in European projects, not specifically on UK innovators or regulatory frameworks.

  • Foundation Industries Ventures (FIVe) S&IN

    The Foundation Industries (FIs) metals, glass, ceramics, cement, chemicals, and paper are vital to the UK manufacturing and construction sectors. Approximately 75% of the materials we see around us have been made by one ...

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    Why might this be relevant?

    Partially relevant as it addresses innovation in UK Foundation Industries, but not specifically on regulatory frameworks or international standards.

  • Accelerating medical technology innovation: data driven augmented regulatory conformity assessment

    There are more than 600,000 unique medical devices on the market in EU and UK ranging from hospital beds to MRI scanners, in-vitro diagnostics, software as a medical device, infusion pumps, brain stimulators and hip repl...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Why might this be relevant?

    Fully relevant as it focuses on accelerating medical technology innovation and regulatory conformity assessment, directly related to international regulatory frameworks and technical standards.

  • UK-China Design Policy Network

    Driven by the growing recognition of the importance of design in national innovation, design policy is an emerging subject of research interest. Design policies are 'sets of rules, activities, and processes to support de...

    Funded by: AHRC

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project specifically addresses design policy collaboration between the UK and China, which is relevant to understanding how key stakeholders rate the UK regulatory system compared to international competitors and the influence of the UK in shaping international efforts.