Welsh Government teams up with Innovate UK to embed a culture of innovation in Wales

Today, in the opening of Wales Tech Week (Monday, October 16), CEO of Innovate UK, Indro Mukerjee and the Minister for the Economy, Vaughan Gething, unveiled a first-of-its-kind plan between Innovate UK and a devolved nation setting out how by working collaboratively, Wales will build a strengthened innovation economy.

The Collaborative Innovation Plan for Wales (view in English, or Welsh) aims to harness the country’s innovative spirit, helping businesses and organisations share ideas and use new technologies.

Wales has a well-established research, development and innovation ecosystem, with the potential for innovation to bring further economic growth, productivity gain and societal impact.

This Collaborative Innovation Plan follows through on commitments made over the past 12 months, building on the Welsh Government and Innovate UK’s Memorandum of Understanding signed in April, to achieve a coordinated approach in meeting their aligned goals and identify further areas to work together to create greater opportunities for Wales and the UK.

Three areas of focus within the plan include:

• Ensuring entrepreneurs, businesses, academia, public sector and third sector in Wales have a simple, connected, visible and effective route to access innovation support mechanisms.
• Ensuring innovation stakeholders in Wales are aware of and engage with the opportunities available to them to increase the number, diversity, and positive impact of businesses innovating within Wales.
• Using data to understand the demographics of Wales’ innovation community and actively seek to address inequalities in access to innovation support.

CEO of Innovate UK, Indro Mukerjee said:

We are launching the Collaborative Innovation Plan which will support Wales’ economic growth and foster enhanced innovation. The Innovate UK team and I look forward to working alongside Minister Gething and his team to deliver an ambitious plan with joint initiatives, providing tailored support for Welsh businesses.

Minister for the Economy, Vaughan Gething said:

I’m delighted to launch our Collaborative Innovation Plan at the start of Wales Tech Week at an event filled with some of the most creative and forward-thinking people and businesses in tech. Wales has never lacked ambition and this plan recognises the strengths and opportunities for growth within our economy. The Welsh Government is committed to strengthening innovation and the use of new technologies, which can support a greener Wales, with better health, better jobs and prosperity for all.

The event for Wales Tech Week will include sessions on a range of subjects including cybersecurity and AI. To find out more, visit: www.walestechweek.com.

As part of the programme, the Welsh Government will bring together a number of international experts from regions of strategic importance to Wales to explore how ethical, fair and safe AI solutions can benefit both our economy and wider society.