- Over 110 universities to benefit from pilot Regional
Innovation Fund (RIF) to grow local economies
- review announced to ensure high-quality data on sex and
gender informs research and policy
- extra £8 million towards more artificial intelligence
scholarships to help UK sector further excel
- two consultations launched to boost broadband for 100,000
most remote premises
A £60 million Regional Innovation Fund (RIF) that will boost support
for universities in areas with lower levels of research and
development investment is among new measures to support the
research sector and wider public, Technology Secretary has announced.
The Secretary of State unveiled the scheme alongside the launch
of an independent review into sex and gender data gathering and,
separately, a commitment of a further £8 million towards
artificial intelligence (AI) scholarships that will give
800 more people the opportunity to excel in the sector.
It followed the launch yesterday (2 October) of two consultations
that aim to improve broadband connections for 100,000 of the most
remote premises and review the existing broadband Universal
Service Obligation (USO).
The RIF –
relative to the size of each UK nation – will see £48.8 million
go towards 110 universities across England and will be delivered
by Research England.
A further £5.8 million for Scotland, £3.4 million for Wales and
£2 million for Northern Ireland will be allocated to devolved
administrations to support local and regional economies, in turn
boosting growth and increasing productivity.
Separately, a review into sex and gender data will be launched to
ensure researchers and public bodies can gather the information
they need to effectively plan key services. As a funder of
research and producer and user of statistics, the government
relies on accurate information to inform research and effective
policymaking in a wide range of fields, from health to crime, to
education to the economy.
The review, supported by the Cabinet Office and Economic and
Social Research Council, a part of UK Research and Innovation,
will be led by Professor Alice Sullivan of University College
London. Its terms of reference will be agreed in the coming weeks
and is expected to conclude by spring of next year.
Meanwhile £8 million will go towards a further 800 scholarships
on the study of AI, building on the more than
1,800 scholarships delivered in the last three years from £18
million of government funding.
Eligible students can study a range of master’s courses across
England which teach practical AI and data science skills,
coding, programming, machine learning, health data science
and AI ethics – preparing them
for jobs of the future and boosting Britain’s ambition to become
a world leader in AI safety.
Yesterday, the government also launched two consultations to
drive forward delivery of gigabit-capable network access across
the UK – building on our goal of 85% coverage by 2025, aiming for
nearly 100% by 2030. The consultations opened on Monday 2 October
and will close on Monday 27 November.
This includes reviewing and updating the broadband Universal
Service Obligation (USO) which gives homeowners
and businesses the legal right to request an affordable, decent
broadband connection. Our consultation will seek early industry
and stakeholder input into how connectivity can be further
strengthened.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)
is also reviewing the department’s approach to connecting Very
Hard to Reach premises (VHTR) – including rural areas that
are unable to access an ultrafast broadband connection – across
the UK. This will establish the case for government support and
intervention, why VHTR places require a different
approach to Project Gigabit and how the policy interacts with the
broadband USO.
Notes to editors
The government has also announced funding for 14 successful
projects in the latest round of Research England’s Connecting
Capability Fund / Research England Development Fund programmes.
The projects, based at universities around England, will receive
nearly £19 million in total and are attracting a total of £9.5
million in matched funding from business and other partners.
Further details of this funding can be found at UK Research
and Innovation website.
The government is committed to nationwide connectivity, with over
77% of UK premises having gigabit-capable network access. The
goal is to reach 85% coverage by 2025, aiming for nearly 100% by
2030.
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