SCIENCE PROGRAMME
This report makes clear that the Government can do more to keep pace in the global science and tech race. The actions it calls for should guide further Whitehall reform to deliver the Government’s ambitions to be a Science Superpower.
Lord Willetts, Chair of the UK Space Agency and former Science Minister
In the first half of 2023 the UK Government transformed its approach to science, creating a new Science Department, setting out a series of new strategies, and establishing an AI-focussed Foundation Models Taskforce backed by £100 million.
But to become a genuine science superpower, the Government needs to go further. This paper sets out a roadmap to complete the rewiring of Whitehall and realise the potential of science and technology to boost the nation’s productivity, transform public services, and compete internationally.
Four principles should guide the next phase of reform: making science and tech central to the Government’s agenda, making clear choices to achieve strategic goals, ensuring Whitehall is coordinated, and consistently pursuing plans over time.
The Government has shown that it is willing to make big bets in aid of its science superpower ambitions – it cannot now rest on its laurels. There is a chance for the British state to be uniquely prepared for the technological revolution we are beginning to experience. Ministers must seize it.
The Government has shown that it is willing to make big bets in aid of its science superpower ambitions – it cannot now rest on its laurels. There is a chance for the British state to be uniquely prepared for the technological revolution we are beginning to experience. Ministers must seize it.
Former Minister for Innovation, Lord O’Shaughnessy:
“The Government should be commended for the reforms to science and tech that it brought in earlier this year — but it must go further. Onward’s report sets out the vital next steps needed if the UK is to seize the science superpower mantle.”
Former Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security, Sir Anthony Finkelstein:
“This is an important report that takes stock of the recent substantial reforms to the UK’s science and technology system. It identifies the achievements but also clearly signals where these reforms have, to date, fallen short. It sets a – rightly – ambitious forward agenda that can act as a jumping off point for the next phase of reform by HMG and beyond.”
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