UK government

The UK Space Agency CEO, Dr Paul Bate, is stepping down at the end of March. He has held the position for four and a half years. The change comes before the agency is officially ‘folded‘ into DSIT, the UK government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. This merger is expected to complete before April 2026. Dr Paul Bate “To ...

For a Labour government, there was a considerable emphasis on business, private investment incentives and R&D in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ budget yesterday. ”I will retain our competitive corporation tax rate, the lowest in the G7, and retain our generous full expensing offer for business investment,”  said the Chancellor (pictured), “I will also introduce a new 40% first-year allowance so that ...

The UK government, through Innovate UK, is investing £3.6 million in a number of therapeutic extended reality (XR) projects. The immersive technology will provide mental health care services. The funding will be part of the agency’s Mindset XR for digital mental health programme. In total, 17 projects are considered capable of delivering “scalable mental health solutions”, it says. These could ...

The UK Space Agency (UKSA) will merge into the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). It is a move to “streamline support for the UK’s growing space industry”, says the UK government. According to the government, it will be “cutting duplication, reducing bureaucracy, and putting public accountability at the heart of decision-making”. The UKSA currently operates as an executive ...

Professor Michele Dougherty, of Imperial College London, has been approved by The King to become the UK’s the new Astronomer Royal. She is the first woman in the role, which dates from 1675, beginning with the aim of determining longitude at sea. It was created by Charles II at the same time as he founded the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, ...

Eutelsat, the Paris-based satellite operator, is looking for a capital boost of €1.5 billion, and the UK government is among those participating in the funding raise. The government is joining The French State via the APE (Agence des Participations de l’Etat). Also, taking part is Bharti Space Limited, CMA CGM, and FSP. Investment Basically, the UK government is looking to ...

The UK government has confirmed plans to allocate a further £35 million for the semiconductor talent expansion programme. The new semiconductor-focused funding is part of a wider Digital and Technologies Sector Plan. This is a set of announcements under the government’s Industrial Strategy. Specifically, the £35 million will be used to scale up and continue the recently announced Semiconductor Talent ...

Public understanding and support for the UK’s clean energy transition will be under the microscope this week as back-bench MP’s hold their first public evidence session on the changing attitudes to net-zero. According to the Energy Security and Net Zero (ESNZ) Select Committee, which is running the inquiry: Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and its impact on energy costs laid ...

The UK’s major space event, the UK Space Conference 2025, is heading to Manchester Central in July. Running from Wednesday 16 to Thursday 17 July, the event is aimed at government bodies, industry, and academia. With the theme of Space for Growth, the conference will cover questions such as how space can drive long-term economic growth for the UK. And ...

UK AI talent is the “envy of the world” said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in a conversation with Sir Keir Starmer at London Tech Week yesterday. However the UK is in a “Goldilocks circumstance”, said Huang with largest store of AI brainpower on the planet at our universities, companies and research institutions and the third largest VC investment in AI ...