Written questions by Campbell.

Innovation and Technology, if she will hold discussions with Innovate UK on increasing the number of projects carried out through the Knowledge Transfer Partnership scheme in Northern Ireland.

Awaiting answer.

Innovation and Technology, whether the Semiconductor Advisory Panel plans to hold a quarterly meeting in Northern Ireland during 2026.

Awaiting answer.

Innovation and Technology, How many (a) projects, and (b) individual graduates, have benefitted from the Innovate UK and Invest NI Knowledge Transfer Partnership scheme in the past three years.

In Financial Years 2023/24 to 2025/26, Invest Northern Ireland have supported 45 Knowledge Transfer projects, which created 45 highly skilled jobs for graduates placed in local businesses through the scheme.In total, Invest Northern Ireland have contributed £2,026,204 towards the grant costs of these projects. Innovate UK has contributed £4,199,706, giving these projects a total grant value of £6,267,910.

Innovation and Technology, what is the estimated total cost to the public purse of the Our Future Health research programme.

As announced in the Life Sciences Sector Plan, the government allocated £354m CDEL R&D Spending Review phase 2 funding from 2026/27 to 2029/30 to Our Future Health to become the largest longitudinal health research cohort and clinical trials resource in the world, with up to 5 million consented participants by 2030. This follows earlier investment of £58m CDEL R&D in 2026/27 from Spending Review phase 1, £79m CDEL R&D from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, which established the programme, and £81m CDEL R&D from repurposed underspend to fund additional objectives.

Innovation and Technology, when she plans to publish the outcome of the Artificial Intelligence regulatory approach discussions with the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee.

The UK is committed to a proportionate AI regulatory approach which is grounded in science and supports growth and innovation.The European Council has published its proposal for a decision to apply the EU AI Act to a limited extent in Northern Ireland under Article 13(4) of the Windsor Framework. The Act would only apply following an agreement at a Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee, which will be subject to the mechanisms in Schedule 6B to the Northern Ireland Act 1998.The UK Government is assessing the proposal and will continue to engage closely with the EU on it. Joint statements on previous Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee meetings can be found on gov.uk.

Innovation and Technology, how many organisations and companies (a) reported cyber incidents in the last 12 months and (b) had adopted the Cyber Essentials scheme beforehand.

While we do know which organisations are certified to the Cyber Essentials scheme, we do not hold data on whether they reported a cyber incident in the past 12 months. We are confident that the controls are effective with insurance data indicating that organisations with Cyber Essentials are 92% less likely to make a claim on their cyber insurance than those without it. That is why we have written to businesses and organisations encouraging them to use the Cyber Essentials scheme. We have been pleased with the positive feedback on this. The number of live certifications as of October 2025 was 54,678, representing an increase of 8,335 certificates on the previous 12 months (an 18% increase).

Innovation and Technology, what is the lifespan of the Semiconductor Advisory Panel; and when does he expect to receive any recommendations from it.

The UK Semiconductor Advisory Panel was established to provide a formal mechanism for industry, academia and government to work closely together on delivering the government’s strategic aims for the semiconductor sector. It provides ongoing advice, rather than developing formal recommendations. Panel members serve 18-month terms.

Innovation and Technology, if she will hold discussions with Innovate UK on holding Innovate Local events in the north west of Northern Ireland.

The Innovate UK Local’s programme of events are designed to take a roadshow of funding opportunities into regions across the whole of the UK. Innovate UK is committed to engaging with innovative businesses in Northern Ireland and is consulting with Invest Northern Ireland on where to hold events over the next year. This will ensure there is strong local input on how best to serve Northern Irelands vibrant business communities.

Innovation and Technology, what assistance the Innovate UK Business Growth Delivery Programme offers to small businesses in Northern Ireland.

Innovate UK Business Growth supports innovation-driven businesses with high growth potential to reach scale in Northern Ireland - where it has supported 424 businesses to date - and across the UK by connecting a locally based innovation and growth specialist to act as a coach for suitable companies. By offering bespoke, sustained 1:1 support, Innovate UK Business Growth helps companies make faster progress towards their objectives as a business, and provides advice and access to the resources that can help them to grow and scale.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2025 to Question 67304 on Innovate UK: Northern Ireland, what data his Department holds on the reasons for the reduction in successful bids.

The numbers provided in the response to Question 67304 are the number of successful completed Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) projects in the specified years, and not the number of successful bids. The bids for the successful projects completing in 2022, 2023 and 2024 would have been made 3-4 years prior to completion. The number of applications in a given year may vary for many reasons and over this time period the number of applications may have been reduced by the Covid pandemic.Innovate UK will continue to market the KTP across Northern Ireland to ensure businesses and universities understand the benefits it can bring.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2025 to Question 65724 on Innovate UK: Northern Ireland, how many projects have been successfully completed under the Knowledge Transfer Partnership scheme in Northern Ireland in each of the past three years.

59 Knowledge Transfer Partnership projects that involved either a Northern Ireland (NI) based business, or a NI based university or FE college successfully completed in the last 3 years. A breakdown of these projects in each year is:2022 – 282023 – 172024 – 14

Innovation and Technology, if he will have discussions with the Semiconductor Advisory Panel on the ongoing work of Northern Ireland based clusters.

The Government recognises the strategic importance of the semiconductor sector across the UK, including the growing cluster in Northern Ireland with strengths in photonics, power, and sensors. The Semiconductor Advisory Panel, co-chaired by Lord Vallance, meets quarterly and plays a key role in shaping our national approach to support the semiconductor industry, including supporting the development of clusters. The Government is committed to supporting the Northern Irish cluster, such as through the SmartNano NI Initiative funded with £42.4 million from UKRI, and the Panel will continue to discuss the Northern Ireland cluster as part of its ongoing work.

Innovation and Technology, how many grant assistance programmes are run in partnership between Innovate UK and Invest NI for Companies based in Northern Ireland.

Innovate UK and Invest NI co-fund the Knowledge Transfer Partnership scheme, which partners businesses with graduates. Approximately 450 projects have been successfully completed in Northern Ireland since 2003.More widely, Invest NI is part of the Innovate UK Business Growth Delivery Programme. Although not a grant assistance programme, this programme has supported 339 businesses in Northern Ireland in the last 3 years.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2025 to Question 58921 on Innovate UK: Northern Ireland, how many companies were awarded contracts for Innovation grants in Northern Ireland in 2024.

In 2024, 3 Contracts for Innovation (CfI) grants were awarded by Innovate UK to companies in Northern Ireland, totalling just over £2 million.The majority of CfI competitions in Northern Ireland are organised and delivered by other public bodies; for which Innovate UK do not hold data.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2025 to Question 61122 on Life Sciences: Northern Ireland, if he will hold discussions with Innovate UK on ensuring the Launchpad programme supports clusters of SMEs beyond the Greater Belfast area.

The Health and Life Sciences Launchpad is already supporting clusters beyond the Greater Belfast area. For example, in Coleraine, it is funding EOSDX, which is developing an AI-driven, non-invasive structural biomarker test for breast cancer diagnosis. In Derry City and Strabane, it is funding ActionSense’s development of an innovative rehabilitation project aimed at transforming stroke recovery. And in Craigavon, it is supporting e-Clear to develop a dementia training platform. More information on funded projects is available at https://www.ukri.org/publications/innovate-uk-funded-projects-since-2004/. Innovate UK and the Launchpad Cluster Management Organisation HIRANI will continue to support stakeholders across Northern Ireland to drive innovation led growth.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the distribution of allocations from the Northern Ireland Life and Health Sciences Launchpad is equitable.

Innovate UK’s Launchpad programme is aimed at supporting clusters of SMEs and the most innovative businesses to progress their ideas toward commercialisation, contributing to local economic growth. Social equity and UK-wide impact are important features of the programme.The Health and Life Sciences Launchpad in Northern Ireland is run in partnership between Innovate UK and Invest NI. Funding has so far been offered to over forty-five projects, across digital health, biotech therapeutics and diagnostics and medical technologies disciplines. During the competition period, Innovate UK and Invest NI raised awareness across different areas through media channels and hosting several in-person sub-regional workshops.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2025 to Question 58921 on Innovate UK: Northern Ireland, how Innovate UK’s regional support advisors in Northern Ireland promote the availability of Innovation Funding Services in Northern Ireland to small firms that previously had no contact with Innovate UK.

Innovate UK actively promotes its products and services to Northern Ireland businesses to improve their access to innovation funding and resources and foster growth within the region’s innovation ecosystem. It does this through a variety of channels. These include Innovate Local events, joint webinars with Invest NI, and participation in Enterprise NI’s finance series. Innovate UK competitions are also promoted on nibusinessinfo.co.uk by Invest NI. The programmes they promote are an important source of support for businesses in Northern Ireland. For example, Innovate UK Business Growth has supported 339 businesses over three years, while the ‘New Innovators’ funding program, which is only available to businesses without prior Innovate UK engagement, has provided £1 million to 23 small and micro businesses since 2020.

Innovation and Technology, what work Innovate UK plans to take to increase advertising of the Contracts for Innovation grants programme in Northern Ireland.

Innovate UK designed the methodology and provides guidance on Contracts for Innovation but most competitions are organised and delivered by other public bodies.Innovate UK promote all Contracts for Innovation competitions it is aware of through social media and other communication channels. When Innovate UK directly operates competitions, it advertises them through its Innovation Funding Service alongside all other R&D funding opportunities. Innovate UK’s regional support advisors active in Northern Ireland can help direct local firms to appropriate funding programmes.

Innovation and Technology, how many people enrolled under the student recruitment system in the UK Space Agency’s Space Placements In Industry Programme in 2024.

The Space Placements in Industry Programme supported a total of 135 student placements over the summer of 2024, 119 of which were UK Space Agency funded and 16 of which were company funded.

Innovation and Technology, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Data (Use and Access) Bill on the development of artificial intelligence models.

Compliance, productivity and familiarisation costs savings of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning reforms in the Data (Use and Access) Bill have been considered and can be found in the indirect benefits and costs sections of the impact assessment (IA). The ethical assessment can also be found in the impact on individuals section. The assessment of the effect on different organisations by size and sector can be found in the small and micro business assessment section of the IA here (particularly, Table 14, 24, 25, 26 & 34).