Written questions by Campbell.

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).

Innovation and Technology, Pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2025 to Question 28458 on Life Sciences: Northern Ireland, what the geographical spread was of the projects that received funding up to the summer of 2024.

The Life and Health Sciences Launchpad in Northern Ireland has so far funded 32 business-led projects. These were in the following local authorities:Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon (1 project)Antrim and Newtownabbey (1 project)Ards and North Down (1 project)Belfast (18 projects)Causeway Coast and Glens (1 project)Derry City and Strabane (2 project)Lisburn and Castlereagh (3 projects)Mid Ulster (2 projects)Mid and East Antrim (3 projects)

Innovation and Technology, what outcomes there were through Innovate UK's Launchpad initiative in Northern Ireland in 2024.

Innovate UK has allocated up to £7.5 million for the Life and Health Sciences Launchpad in Northern Ireland. An initial allocation of funding was made to 14 business-led projects in April 2024. 18 additional projects targeting early-stage businesses in this cluster were funded in summer 2024. Competitions are currently in planning to allocate the remaining Launchpad funds.Innovate UK is evaluating the impact of all the Launchpads, including the one in Northern Ireland. It will publish interim findings from early 2027 via UKRI’s public website. A full impact evaluation will subsequently report from late 2028.

Innovation and Technology, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Launchpad Initiative in Northern Ireland by Innovate UK on the life and health sciences sector.

Innovate UK Launchpads is an £80 million programme that builds on local innovation strengths to support emerging clusters of SMEs to deliver jobs, growth, and high productivity. For each Launchpad, Innovate UK invests up to £7.5 million for business-led innovation projects.The Northern Ireland Launchpad is dedicated to the advancement of healthcare solutions and medical breakthroughs. Innovate UK has appointed independent consultants to evaluate the impact of this and the other Launchpads and will publish interim findings from early 2027 via UKRI’s public website. A full impact evaluation will report from late 2028.

Innovation and Technology, whether the Semiconductor Advisory Panel will meet in Northern Ireland in 2025.

The government recognises that semiconductors are a UK wide strength, with clusters spread across the country, including in Northern Ireland. It is critical that the Semiconductor Advisory Panel can speak to all geographies of the semiconductor community....

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the impact of Innovate UK’s Small Business Research Initiative on Northern Ireland in the last two years.

Innovate UK’s Small Business Research Initiative (now renamed to Contracts for Innovation) has published an evaluation demonstrating its impact, including:£788m awarded through SBRI competitions between 2008 and 2022Business applicants from NI made up app...

Innovation and Technology, if he will ensure that the UK Semiconductor Advisory Panel has a membership from the whole of the UK.

The Semiconductor Advisory Panel is representative of the UK’s semiconductor industry, and the ecosystem that supports it. In selecting the panel, consideration was given to representation across UK specialisms in design, compound semiconductors and R&amp...