Committees

Innovation, growth and the regions

Inquiry

The Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee is launching an inquiry into “Innovation, growth and the regions” to assess the role of the UK’s innovation ecosystem in achieving the Government’s mission to kickstart economic growth across the country.

The inquiry will consider the role of structural factors—such as the tax system, regulatory requirements, and standards—in influencing the success of start-ups, spin-outs, and other innovation-focused enterprises.  The Committee will assess the health of the country’s innovation ecosystem across the nations and regions. It will look at the interplay of local and national government policy, access to investment, research clusters, and infrastructure in fostering innovation and making the regions an engine for growth.

It will explore how universities and businesses work together to commercialise research and to tackle obstacles such as funding and market access. It will evaluate the link between innovation and economic growth both regionally and nationally, drawing lessons from international comparators and considering the impact of regional clusters and hubs, including the Catapult network.

This inquiry is no longer accepting evidence

The deadline for submissions was Friday 24 January 2025.

Upcoming events

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No upcoming events scheduled

Past events

Tuesday 6 May 2025
2:00pm Private
2:30pm Public
Innovation, growth and the regions - Oral evidence 6 May 2025
2:30pm
  • Neil Lee (Professor of Economic Geography at London School of Economics (LSE))
  • Mathias Rauch (Director and Chair of the Board at Fraunhofer UK)
3:30pm
  • Louis Taylor (CEO at British Business Bank)
  • Kristen McLeod (Chief Strategy Officer at British Business Bank)
Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Tuesday 1 April 2025
9:00am Private
9:30am Public
Oral evidence session 1 April 2025
Innovation showcase - Oral evidence
9:30am
  • Dan Cathie (CEO at Silveray)
Innovation, growth and the regions - Oral evidence
9:45am
  • Dan Norris MP (Mayor of the West of England at Mayoral Combined Authority)
  • Councillor Mary Ann Brocklesby (Cardiff Capital Region Chair and Leader at Monmouthshire County Council)
  • Mayor Kim McGuiness (Mayor of the North East of England at North East Combined Authority)
10:35am
  • Rt Hon Greg Clark (Chair at Warrick Innovation District)
  • Dr Natasha Boulding (CEO at Low Carbon Materials)
  • Dan Cathie (CEO at Silveray)
Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Tuesday 11 March 2025
9:00am Private
9:30am Public
Oral evidence session 11 March 2025
Innovation showcase - Oral evidence
9:30am
  • Dr Jennifer Fleming (Coordinator at Protein Data Bank in Europe, EMBL-EBI)
Innovation, growth and the regions - Oral evidence
9:45am
  • Duncan Johnson (CEO at Northern Gritstone)
  • Irene Graham OBE (CEO at The ScaleUp Institute)
10:35am
  • Henri Murison (CEO at Northen Powerhouse Partnership)
  • Dr Kath Mackay (Chief Scientific Officer at Bruntwood SciTech)
Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Tuesday 14 January 2025
9:00am Private
9:30am Public
Oral evidence session 14 January 2025
Innovation showcase - Oral evidence
9:30am
  • Lisa Johnson (Vice President, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs (Global) at Starship Technologies)
Innovation, growth and the regions - Oral evidence
9:45am
  • Professor Irene Tracey CBE (Vice-Chancellor at The University of Oxford)
  • Dr David McBeth (Vice-Principal (Enterprise & Economic Transformation) at Dundee University)
  • Professor Ashutosh Tiwari FREng (Deputy Vice-President for Innovation at The University of Sheffield)
10:35am
  • Martin McHugh (CEO at Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult)
  • Mike Wright (Chair at West Midlands Innovation Board)
  • Professor Lou Cordwell OBE (Professor of Innovation and Chair of Greater Manchester Business Board (LEP) at The University of Manchester)
Room 8, Palace of Westminster

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  • Email: commonssitc@parliament.uk
  • Phone: 020 7219 5023 (general enquiries) |020 7219 0731 (media enquiries)
  • Address: Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA