Wednesday 3 September,
9:30am, Room 8, Palace of Westminster
The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee will examine the
work of the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) in a
one-off evidence session.
ARIA is a research and development funding agency established in
2023 to drive high-risk, high-reward science and technological
innovation by providing researchers with investment and support
outside conventional funding mechanisms.
The cross-party committee will question the chair and outgoing
CEO of ARIA on its strategic direction during its first years of
operation, how it measures success in high-risk, long-term
innovation, and its approach to risk and failure.
Questions could also explore ARIA's recruitment of Programme
Directors, who design and run its R&D programmes with a high
degree of autonomy, its approach to potentially controversial
research and to public communication about science.
MPs may ask about ARIA's transparency and accountability
mechanisms, given its exemption from the Freedom of Information
Act, and how it manages public funds.
The future of AI in the UK, including the debate on AI and
copyright, and the governance of the Alan Turing Institute, may
also be discussed.
Witnesses at 9:45am:
Innovation Showcase at 9:30am:
Ahead of the main evidence session, the committee will hear from
Locks 4 Vans in a short slot as part of its showcase of UK
innovators.
- Damien O'Boyle, Director of Client Services, Healthy.io
