Transparency data: Council for Science and Technology: meeting minutes, September 2025

Sir Ian Chapman, CEO, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

Tom Adeyoola, Executive Chair, Innovate UK

1. John Browne opened the meeting and welcomed Susan Smith, new British Academy President, to her first CST meeting.

2. CST members discussed the following current projects and completed topics of advice for government:

CST gave advice on semantic interoperability through a paper and teach-in for Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) officials.

Members discussed progress with the ongoing project on R&D and growth. The project aims to identify opportunities for growth and to articulate the value creation from science, technology and R&D.

Members also discussed the framework and emerging recommendations for advice on climate adaptation and resilience.

3. Members welcomed Sir Ian Chapman and Tom Adeyoola to the meeting and discussed the following themes:

The importance of UKRI and Innovate UK strengthening partnerships with local authorities and devolved administrations to deliver on priorities.

The importance of unlocking investment from the Mansion House Compact to deliver growth and scale from innovative businesses. Previous CST advice on scale up finance should inform Innovate UK’s objectives to support innovative science and technology companies.

Further work is needed to streamline grant application processes for companies.

There is a need for a more positive narrative of how we discuss innovation in the UK and excellence around the country. The UK has one of the top innovation ecosystems in the world. This should be built into UKRI messaging.