Science diplomacy

Science, Innovation and Technology Committee Open Inquiry
Opened: 3 Apr 2025 Parliament page
The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee is launching an inquiry into the role of science diplomacy and research and development (R&D) in supporting the UK Government’s growth missions, enhancing the UK’s international influence, and contributing to national security. Science diplomacy encompasses the political support for science in an international context, … Read more
11 Recommendations
13 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
1 Letter
1 Event
Activity timeline 3 events
7 Jul
2026
Report published
22 Apr
2026
Correspondence
17 Mar
2026
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
17 Mar 2026
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Science diplomacy
Nathanael Bevan · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Rhys Bowen · Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Seema Malhotra MP · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office The Lord Vallance of Balham KCB · Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Title HC No. Published Items Response
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: Sovereignty, strategy, and the g… HC 62 7 Jul 2026 24 No response document linked
Recommendations & Conclusions
24 results
1 Recommendation
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
The Committee recognises that Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) spending has been reduced to allow the...
The Committee recognises that Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) spending has been reduced to allow the wider defence budget to be increased, but highlights the risks in making deep cuts to ODA for Research and Development (R&D). The UK has been … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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2 Recommendation
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
In its response to this report, the government should set out its assessment of the...
In its response to this report, the government should set out its assessment of the impact of ODA cuts on international science collaboration, including on areas such as the International Science Partnership Framework. While recognising the pressures and trade- offs … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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3 Conclusion
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
The UK’s Global Talent Fund is a welcome initiative but lacks ambition and scale.
The UK’s Global Talent Fund is a welcome initiative but lacks ambition and scale. It fails to address the high upfront costs faced by researchers coming to the UK, which our witnesses consistently identified as a key deterrent for science … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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4 Conclusion
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
The UK-US pharmaceutical agreement has secured benefits— notably exemption from tariffs—but it also appears to...
The UK-US pharmaceutical agreement has secured benefits— notably exemption from tariffs—but it also appears to have involved significant commitments affecting core elements of UK domestic policy. Changes relating to medicine spending, NICE thresholds, and the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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5 Recommendation
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
In its response to this report, the government should set out how commitments made under...
In its response to this report, the government should set out how commitments made under the UK-US agreement will deliver tangible benefits for NHS patients and system sustainability, rather than simply improving commercial conditions for industry. It should commit to … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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6 Conclusion
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
The UK has big ambitions for science diplomacy, and a strong research base, but these...
The UK has big ambitions for science diplomacy, and a strong research base, but these are not matched by strategy or delivery. The government has not articulated a coherent strategic framework setting out priority partners, technologies, or intended outcomes of … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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7 Recommendation
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
The Government should move beyond its opportunistic approach to international agreements in science and technology.
The Government should move beyond its opportunistic approach to international agreements in science and technology. It should, in its response to this report, commit to establishing and publishing clear criteria for decisions on its science partnerships. This should include explicit … Read more
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8 Recommendation
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
For the six frontier technologies in the Digital and Technologies Sector Plan, and for space,...
For the six frontier technologies in the Digital and Technologies Sector Plan, and for space, the government should bring forward detailed, cross-government strategies accompanied by clear delivery plans. The forthcoming Plan for Space provides an important opportunity to do this. … Read more
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9 Conclusion
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
We support the principles behind the government and UKRI’s efforts to reform research funding, streamlining...
We support the principles behind the government and UKRI’s efforts to reform research funding, streamlining and coordinating work across its councils, and deploying it to drive economic growth. However, this should be carefully managed to take into account the impact … Read more
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10 Conclusion
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
We visited the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in 2025 and were greatly impressed...
We visited the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in 2025 and were greatly impressed not only by the work being carried out there to push back the boundaries of human knowledge, but by the scope and depth of the … Read more
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11 Conclusion
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
As geopolitics shifts, the UK is in a global race for sovereign capability across a...
As geopolitics shifts, the UK is in a global race for sovereign capability across a range of technologies, whether it acknowledges it or not. Achieving sovereign capability requires the government to be clear about the trade-offs and risks involved and … Read more
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12 Conclusion
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
The US’s decision to restrict some advanced AI models should be a powerful reminder to...
The US’s decision to restrict some advanced AI models should be a powerful reminder to the UK government that it may not be able to count even on its allies for access to technologies. Leverage may not be enough to … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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13 Recommendation
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
The government should set out how it intends to protect its sovereignty in AI, in...
The government should set out how it intends to protect its sovereignty in AI, in particular, in the face of fast-changing geopolitical and technological developments. The government should work with industry and academia to define sovereign capability for the five … Read more
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14 Conclusion
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
While the own–collaborate–access framework provides a useful foundation for prioritising the UK’s approach to critical...
While the own–collaborate–access framework provides a useful foundation for prioritising the UK’s approach to critical technologies, it is currently applied at too high a level to guide effective decision-making. Holding an ambition for an entire technology to be in the … Read more
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15 Recommendation
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
The Government should operationalise the own–collaborate–access framework by applying it at the level of specific...
The Government should operationalise the own–collaborate–access framework by applying it at the level of specific capabilities within technology stacks, rather than to technologies as a whole. It should publish assessments setting out which components the UK seeks to own, where … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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16 Conclusion
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
The government’s move towards prioritising specific technologies in sectors such as space represents a welcome...
The government’s move towards prioritising specific technologies in sectors such as space represents a welcome shift away from a broad- based approach. However, its current approach to specialisation remains high level and insufficiently defined in areas we examined, including space … Read more
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17 Recommendation
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
The government should provide greater clarity on its approach to technological specialisation.
The government should provide greater clarity on its approach to technological specialisation. This should include setting out, in specific terms, the capabilities and sub-sectors it intends to prioritise within broad fields such as space and quantum. It should also publish … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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18 Conclusion
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
The UK excels at generating early-stage research and innovation but falls short in translating this...
The UK excels at generating early-stage research and innovation but falls short in translating this strength into the growth and scaling of high-tech domestic companies. UK-developed innovations are too often commercialised overseas, with high-growth firms in strategic sectors such as … Read more
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19 Conclusion
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
The failure to scale companies reflects longstanding and deep-seated weaknesses in availability of laterstage capital,...
The failure to scale companies reflects longstanding and deep-seated weaknesses in availability of laterstage capital, including a shortage of large, specialist funds and a limited pool of investors with the technical expertise and risk appetite to lead deeptech investments. The … Read more
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20 Recommendation
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
The government should encourage the growth of specialist funds with deep sectoral expertise, including by...
The government should encourage the growth of specialist funds with deep sectoral expertise, including by supporting team development, attracting international talent, and enabling experienced technical leaders to transition into investment roles. The government should use its own procurement more strategically … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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21 Conclusion
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
The UK’s research base is operating in an increasingly contested global environment.
The UK’s research base is operating in an increasingly contested global environment. The risks to research security are growing but the UK’s response is insufficiently developed. Though the recent breach at UK Biobank illustrated how research collaborations can be exploited … Read more
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22 Recommendation
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
The government should provide clearer and more detailed guidance on how institutions should approach research...
The government should provide clearer and more detailed guidance on how institutions should approach research security, aligned with its wider strategy for international collaboration, as set out in chapter 1. This should include better information-sharing between government and institutions to … Read more
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23 Conclusion
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
While targeted measures to strengthen research security are important, they cannot be considered in isolation...
While targeted measures to strengthen research security are important, they cannot be considered in isolation from the wider structural pressures facing UK universities. Financial constraints, reliance on international student income and weaknesses in the domestic talent pipeline in key subjects … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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24 Recommendation
3rd Report - Science diplomacy: So…
In its response to this report, the government should set out a clear, cross-departmental strategy...
In its response to this report, the government should set out a clear, cross-departmental strategy for ensuring a secure and sustainable domestic talent pipeline in the key scientific and technological capabilities it has identified as critical to the UK’s future … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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Correspondence 1 letter
22 Apr 2026 Correspondence from Minister for Science, Innovation and Nuclear and Minister for the Indo-Pacific, re: Follow-ups from 17 March oral evidence session on Science diplomacy, 9 April 2026
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