21 February 2017

The Government released its Industrial Strategy Green Paper last month and is now seeking views on their approach to building a modern industrial strategy (which is planned to deliver an economy that works for everyone).

We will channel our comments through RISC (UK’s Security and Resilience Industry Suppliers Community) in response to the Industrial Strategy Green Paper, wherein RISC is going to submit a cohesive written response on behalf of the UK security & resilience suppliers.

The deadline for input to me is 01 March 2017, please contribute to our response.

As guidance I have picked out some of the relevant questions that need input:

5. What should be the priority areas for science, research and innovation investment?
6. Which challenge areas should the Industrial Challenge Strategy Fund focus on to drive maximum economic impact?
7. What else can the UK do to create an environment that supports the commercialisation of ideas?
13. What skills shortages do we have or expect to have, in particular sectors or local areas, and how can we link the skills needs of industry to skills provision by educational institutions in local areas?
17. What further actions can we take to improve the performance of infrastructure towards
international benchmarks? How can government work with industry to ensure we have the skills and supply chain needed to deliver strategic infrastructure in the UK?
22. What are the barriers faced by those businesses that have the potential to scale-up and achieve greater growth, and how can we address these barriers? Where are the outstanding examples of business networks for fast growing firms which we could learn from or spread?
23. Are there further steps that the Government can take to support innovation through public procurement?
24. What further steps can be taken to use public procurement to drive the industrial strategy in areas where government is the main client, such as healthcare and defence? Do we have the right institutions and policies in place in these sectors to exploit government’s purchasing power to drive economic growth?
25. What can the Government do to improve our support for firms wanting to start exporting? What can the Government do to improve support for firms in increasing their exports?
31. How can the Government and industry help sectors come together to identify the opportunities for a ‘sector deal’ to address – especially where industries are fragmented or not well defined?
32. How can the Government ensure that ‘sector deals’ promote competition and incorporate the interests of new entrants?
33. How can the Government and industry collaborate to enable growth in new sectors of the future that emerge around new technologies and new business models?
34. Do you agree the principles set out above are the right ones? If not what is missing?
35. What are the most important new approaches to raising skill levels in areas where they are lower? Where could investments in connectivity or innovation do most to help encourage growth across the country?

Please forward any replies to any or all of these questions to me before the 1st March 2017.
CEO of the FIA, Ian Moore>>