Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

On the February 7 2023, the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak split the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) into three new departments creating the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and the Department for Business and Trade.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) brings together the relevant parts of the former Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the former Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

It is to be led by former universities minister Michelle Donelan as secretary of state for the new Department. George Freeman who was previously the minister of state with responsibility for science at the original BEIS will remain as Minister of State in the new department.

In the announcement the Government said; “A dedicated Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will drive the innovation that will deliver improved public services, create new and better-paid jobs and grow the economy,” the prime minister’s office said in a press release. “Having a single department focussed on turning scientific and technical innovations into practical, appliable solutions to the challenges we face will help make sure the UK is the most innovative economy in the world.”

Whilst the Government website states; "The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will focus on positioning the UK at the forefront of global scientific and technological advancement. It will build on our strong foundations of world-class research, a thriving technology scene and global networks of collaboration to create a golden thread from outstanding basic science to innovations that change lives and sustain economic growth. It will direct record levels of research and development, and deliver talent programmes, physical and digital infrastructure and regulation to support our economy, security, public services and wider government priorities."

Sir Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society, said, “A dedicated Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and secretary of state with a seat in cabinet is a clear signal that research and innovation sit at the heart of the Prime Minister’s productivity and growth agenda. The Royal Society has long called for such a cabinet level position. Michelle Donelan’s first job must be to secure association to Horizon Europe and other EU science programmes. These schemes support outstanding international collaboration and without being part of them we are undermining the Prime Minister’s stated ambition for the UK to be at the forefront of science and technology globally. With the UK in the midst of an energy crisis and struggling to meet its net zero commitments, a stand-alone Department for Energy Security and Net Zero would have the focus to clearly articulate the roadmap to net zero, and give the much needed investment signals to drive the innovations needed for the transition to a sustainable energy system and a net zero future.”