Through the Industrial Strategy we have committed to reaching the target of 2.4% of GDP investment in R&D by 2027, and 3% in the longer term. Achieving this ambition would provide a strong platform to transform the economy by enabling the development of new technologies, industries and products that bring new growth, good jobs, and a wide range of social improvements.

Reaching the 2.4% target will require concerted effort both for government and for business. Public investment will play an essential role in achieving the target, but this will also require a commitment from the private sector to invest substantially. Health-related Research and Development will be a vital element of our plan for reaching the ambition. We will publish a Roadmap for achieving the ambition, following the Spending Review. The Roadmap will explore the full range of policy measures that could encourage additional private investment in R&D.

Through the Industrial Strategy we have committed to reaching the target of 2.4% of GDP investment in R&D by 2027, and 3% in the longer term. Achieving this ambition would provide a strong platform to transform the economy by enabling the development of new technologies, industries and products that bring new growth, good jobs, and a wide range of social improvements.

Reaching the 2.4% target will require concerted effort both for government and for business. Public investment will play an essential role in achieving the target, but this will also require a commitment from the private sector to invest substantially. Health-related Research and Development will be a vital element of our plan for reaching the ambition. We will publish a Roadmap for achieving the ambition, following the Spending Review. The Roadmap will explore the full range of policy measures that could encourage additional private investment in R&D.

Through the Industrial Strategy we have committed to reaching the target of 2.4% of GDP investment in R&D by 2027, and 3% in the longer term. Achieving this ambition would provide a strong platform to transform the economy by enabling the development of new technologies, industries and products that bring new growth, good jobs, and a wide range of social improvements.

Reaching the 2.4% target will require concerted effort both for government and for business. Public investment will play an essential role in achieving the target, but this will also require a commitment from the private sector to invest substantially. Health-related Research and Development will be a vital element of our plan for reaching the ambition. We will publish a Roadmap for achieving the ambition, following the Spending Review. The Roadmap will explore the full range of policy measures that could encourage additional private investment in R&D.

We are increasing spending on R&D by £7 billion over 5 years by 2021-22. This will be the largest increase ever. The government has acknowledged the importance of investment in medical and health R&D to the continued health of the UK and to the continued excellence of our healthcare system. The government’s commitment to this is laid out in the Industrial Strategy and the life science sector deal.

The Government funds health related R&D primarily through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Within UKRI the main funder of health related research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). However, all of UKRI’s councils fund projects that are connected to health e.g. Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) which has strategic investments in both human and animal health (including long term institute programmes at the Babraham Institute, the Quadram Institute and The Pirbright Institute). Innovate UK also supports business led innovation in healthcare and is involved in wider cross cutting UKRI programmes such as the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund which has several challenges related to healthcare including the £210 million ‘Data to Early Diagnosis’ Challenge.

UKRI funding decisions are based on the quality of applications, balancing this against wider opportunities and allowing for investigator-led proposals to inform priorities. As such, a total number for spending on health R&D is not available for 2019.

NIHR and MRC have budgets for 2019 of £1,078 million and £745 million respectively.

Allocations for 2020 onwards are subject to the Spending Review.

The priority of the UK Government is to tackle the root cause of climate change by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities and adapting to those impacts that are unavoidable. We are aware of independent existing efforts to increase cooperation and governance of research into solar radiation management technologies, such as the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative and the ‘Oxford Principles’ for the governance of geoengineering. We have not formally assessed the risk that lack of plans may lead to unilateral deployment without international consent.

This information is publicly available on the Natural Environment Research Council website, from which the full list of projects funded by the Greenhouse Gas Removal research programme is provided in the attached document. One of the 13 projects is targeted at gasses other than carbon dioxide, specifically on new methodologies for removal of methane from the atmosphere. This project is receiving £223,782 in funding, or 3% of the programme total.

The Government is committed to ensuring that institutions including UK business schools continue to be able to recruit academic talent and attract research funding after the UK has exited the European Union. Academic institutions in the UK recruit talent from within the UK and from overseas and an immigration system that supports this is an important component of their continuing success. The Government published the Immigration White Paper, outlining the future immigration system in December 2018 and is currently running an engagement programme with businesses and other stakeholders before publishing the Immigration Rules setting out the detail of the future system. In addition, since January 2018, the Government has implemented an extensive and wide-ranging package of changes to the immigration rules, aimed at supporting science, research and innovation including setting up a new Tier 5 (Government Authorised Exchange) Scheme to make it easier to sponsor the temporary movement of international researchers.

Business schools attract funding for research from a range of sources including Horizon 2020, the EU’s flagship research and innovation programme. Until the UK exits the EU, the UK will continue to participate in Horizon 2020, as a Member State. If ratified, the Government’s proposed Withdrawal Agreement would ensure that following exit the UK could continue to participate in EU programmes such as Horizon 2020 for the lifetime of projects. In the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal at the end of the extension period, the Government has confirmed that the funding commitments made under the guarantee and its extension still stand. Through these commitments, the Government will underwrite funding for all successful competitive eligible UK bids to Horizon 2020 that are submitted before the end of the Programme - including those involving UK business schools. This guarantee will apply for the lifetime of projects and will provide funding for UK participation in Horizon 2020.

Looking ahead, the Government would like the option to associate to the future excellence-based European research and innovation programmes, including Horizon Europe. We are actively engaging in the development of the Horizon Europe proposal in line with UK interests.

BEIS is working with the National Academies, the Devolved Administrations and UKRI to develop ambitious and credible alternatives to association, through which we will enable world class collaborative research. BEIS has also commissioned Sir Adrian Smith to provide independent advice on international collaboration – specifically on potential future UK funding schemes in the context of the UK’s future ambitions for European and international collaboration on research and innovation. His advice will help inform the direction for the implementation of the Government’s ambition to ensure the UK continues to be a global leader in science, research and innovation, and an attractive country for individuals to study and work.

The Recycling of Lithium-Ion Batteries (ReLiB) project is a cross disciplinary research programme investigating the management of End-of-Life Lithium Ion batteries from Electric Vehicles (EVs). Giving end of first life battery cells and components the opportunity for use in a secondary application may be a way to maximise use and value. The ReLiB project aims to develop automated techniques for determining the characteristics and viability of such components so that they can be re-deployed effectively, secure maximum benefits and inappropriate applications can be avoided. Seven leading UK universities are collaborating on this Faraday Institution funded project (£10,060,130). It aims to address technical, commercial, environmental, policy and regulatory aspects of EV battery management.

As an important part of the transition to low carbon vehicles, the ReLiB project is initially funded for a period of 3 years commencing 1^st March 2018, but with a 10year technology horizon. Outputs from the first phase of the project are now being generated, are and will continue to be, published in peer reviewed scientific journal. Early stage developments include the development of automated systems to dismantle battery packs safely and optimise the processing of the components in the UK. The project will also seek to generate and exploit intellectual property, in the battery re-use and recycling field, generated through the course of the project in collaboration with UK industrial partners.

Developing UK facilities for processing EV batteries will contribute to Government’s aim of developing a more Circular Economy. Recovery of valuable elements such as cobalt and nickel would contribute to securing supplies of the materials required as inputs for indigenous volume automotive UK battery manufacturing facilities.

We are in regular contact with the UK’s advanced materials sector, and seek to encourage regular engagement between advance material producers and potential end user sectors (including energy, transportation, construction, defence) to maximise the potential for collaboration, supporting the growth of advanced manufacturing in the UK.

Research into Solar Radiation Management (SRM) technologies was commissioned by the Department of Energy and Climate Change and published in peer-reviewed scientific journals; references are given in our published position statement, attached.

We did not commission further research because the next logical step was to do similar studies with different climate models run by institutions in other countries. This has been taken forward by the World Climate Research Programme’s Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP), which has served to coordinate SRM simulations across international modelling groups. Results from this project indicate that there are still large uncertainties in the effectiveness of SRM and its potential wider impacts on the environment. This work is ongoing and the Government maintains an interest in its outputs.

The study on options for incentivising Greenhouse Gas Removal technologies is near completion and we aim to publish it in due course.

A decision on new funding for GGR demonstrators is pending with the my rt. hon. Friend Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and with HM Treasury. No further meetings with UKRI on the specific topic of GGR technologies are currently planned.

The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 are being reviewed to ensure they reflect changed fire safety risks, innovation, manufacturing processes and environmental and health concerns of chemical flame retardants whilst maintaining product safety protections.

The Department will publish its response to the 2016 consultation in due course. This will take into account of the responses received, the views of experts from across government including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Public Health England, the Food Standards Agency and the Fire Services, as well as a range of evidence from external sources such as academic papers.

Ministers have not had meetings with Professor Richard Hull or Bob Birtles. Details of ministerial meetings with external bodies are published on the Gov.uk website.