Science and tech figureheads lead government innovation charge

26 Jun 2023 11:32 PM

Startup boards meets for the first time, supporting department’s goal of making the UK a science and technology superpower by 2030.

• DSIT startup board meets for first time, with representatives from across the science and tech world in attendance
• High profile appointees bring a wealth of experience and expertise to policy-making
• Group discuss how DSIT can help the UK lead on AI both at home and abroad, and be the most innovative department in government

The UK’s best and brightest science and technology minds, including former astronaut Tim Peake and McLaren founder Ron Dennis, met yesterday at the inaugural Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) startup board meeting, helping to shape the future of government policy and achieve the department’s goal of making the UK a science and technology superpower by 2030.

Meeting for the first time as a group since being appointed in April, members discussed a variety of topics, with the combined experience and expertise in the room offering a unique opportunity for officials and ministers to understand how best the Government can support industry.

Further developing the Government’s regulatory policy on AI was high on the agenda, with the startup board discussing how the department can play an integral role in the Prime Minister’s ambition for the UK to lead on AI policy both at home and abroad, and how the Government can deploy revolutionary AI technologies in more sectors to improve productivity and unlock growth, including in our public services.

Members of the startup board also shared ideas on how the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology can be the most innovative department in government, looking to emulate the boldness and daring ambition that is seen in the science and technology sectors that the board’s members are part of.

Finally on the agenda in yesterday’s meeting was an exploration into how the department can make better use of analysis and insight to improve the impact it has on both the general public and the science and technology ecosystems in the UK.

The 7 inaugural non-executive members of the DSIT startup board are:

• Shonnel Malani – Managing Partner at Advent International and Chair of the Board at Cobham and Ultra Electronics
• Tim Peake CMG – former European Space Agency astronaut and British Army Air Corps Helicopter Pilot
• Ron Dennis CBE – Founding Shareholder and former Chairman and CEO of the McLaren Technology Group Ltd, Chairman of Podium Analytics
• Baroness Alison Wolf CBE – Professor at King’s College London, cross-bench House of Lords Peer and former government expert adviser on skills
• Melissa Di Donato – former CEO of SUSE Software Solutions, iNED at JPMorgan Chase, Supervisory Board member of Porsche AG, Senior Advisor at Hg Capital
• Saul Klein – co-founder and Managing Partner of Phoenix Court, home to LocalGlobe and Latitude, as well as co-founder of Seedcamp and ZINC
• Professor Jason Chin FRS – Fellow in Natural Sciences at Trinity College, Cambridge, and Head, Centre for Chemical and Synthetic Biology at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

As non-executive Board members, the group aim to provide over-arching strategic guidance and insight to the department as it looks to drive economic growth, create jobs, and improve the lives of every Briton by boosting the UK’s mission for science, innovation and technology.