Council For Science Technology
Details
In October 2022, the Council for Science and Technology (CST) provided advice to the Prime Minister on how the government can use public procurement to stimulate innovation and drive growth in pursuit of national goals. CST recommended action in the following areas:
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Better signalling of national priorities for technology development and of public sector operational needs
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Improve governance through stronger leadership and accountability for radical change, with clear targets for departments on innovation-focussed procurement
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Build professional skills in government to create technically, commercially, and operationally literate procurement teams that can support across all stages of technology development
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Test new approaches to delivery of innovation-focussed procurement and share learning
In June 2023, the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology wrote in response to CST advice on access to finance for innovative companies and delivering national priorities through public procurement. This follows discussions with members on the Science and Technology Framework.