Government cuts red tape to revolutionise public services with cutting-edge tech

From drones delivering medical provides within the Scottish islands, to AI instruments which might be serving to get new medicines safely authorised to be used sooner, as the federal government has introduced it’s slashing the red tape that holds again groundbreaking improvements from coming to market.

The authorities is offering an £8.9 million enhance, following the Regional Investment Summit, for 16 tasks to lower by way of out-dated red tape in order that the UK’s innovators can get new applied sciences out of the lab and into use sooner.  

The funding, being delivered by way of the Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO), may even help efforts like an AI smartphone app, that’s serving to London Fire Brigade to risk-assess houses and companies. It’s additionally serving to native authorities ship worth for cash – like in Milton Keynes the place street-sweeping robots will probably be trialled.

These are instruments that can help higher public services and supply large alternatives for progressive British companies to commerce and develop – supported by a regulatory atmosphere that allows innovation. The RIO is the federal government’s devoted crew established to scale back the burden for progressive companies, and during the last 12 months has supported reforms that are boosting the financial system, proper now. In one case an organization secured a £23 million contract with the National Grid, to examine energy strains with drones, that was solely made attainable thanks to regulatory adjustments which enabled that work.  

As a brand new report revealed right this moment highlights, these efforts have led to sooner danger assessments for the usage of drones – a sector doubtlessly value £45 billion by 2030 – in addition to extending the trials of a game-changing drone blood supply service at St Thomas’s and Guy’s hospital. While work supporting the UK’s burgeoning house sector has led to world main efforts to higher regulate house missions like satellite tv for pc life-extension, inspection, and particles removing – serving to to unlock a market which might be value £2.7 billion by 2031. 

All of that is made attainable by the RIO’s holistic supply of help to regulators and Britain’s most cutting-edge companies, from direct engagement with corporations, to work constructing regulators’ capabilities, by way of to immediately funding new approaches to innovation – identical to the tasks getting funding right this moment. 

Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall mentioned: 

Every day throughout the nation new merchandise are being invented which have the potential to remodel lives and revolutionise public services.

But all too typically, we’re held again from taking benefit of them by red tape that merely hasn’t saved tempo with the scientific and technological advances.

That’s why we’re backing our regulators to work collectively with business, to make the principles match for goal, and unlock breakthroughs that can ship nationwide renewal by driving our financial system forwards sooner, simpler, and safely.

Chaired by Lord Willetts, the RIO is on a mission to lower red tape which unnecessarily impedes on new applied sciences coming to market and stunts development, as an alternative pivoting to a streamlined and pro-innovation atmosphere which permits folks throughout the UK to reap the constructive affect of latest tech safely and sooner.  

A new report published sets out the transformative impact the RIO has had in its first 12 months. Besides work on seizing the alternatives of engineering biology, house, AI and digital in healthcare, the final yr has seen the RIO launch work to lower red tape for the UK’s world-leading monetary services sector.  The report additionally units out formidable future priorities for the RIO – wanting to unleash the potential of regulatory reform in healthcare particularly, the place novel biotherapeutics might be gamechangers for public well being, and placing AI to work to pace up the protected approval of scientific trials. 

Chair of the Regulatory Innovation Office, Lord Willetts, mentioned: 

The UK’s future prosperity relies on harnessing innovation. The Regulators’ Pioneer Fund is a strong catalyst, enabling our regulators to work with business and researchers to convey excessive potential applied sciences to market extra swiftly and safely. 

The RIO’s collaborative strategy as set out in our One-Year On report is making a pro-innovation atmosphere the place British ingenuity can flourish, delivering actual advantages for our financial system and society.

The report additionally units out how the RIO will help additional work utilizing drones in new settings, in addition to setting out how business can interact immediately with the RIO crew. A direct route for innovators working within the RIO’s precedence areas is being arrange to assist them interact with the Office, whereas the RIO can be partnering with organisations just like the CBI, Tech UK and the Start Up Coalition in order that points with regulation could be flagged to the workplace sooner. The RIO can be launching a partnership with IBM to ship an AI ‘hackathon’ in Spring 2026, and can proceed to work to develop a help service, to assist our homegrown innovators to succeed and scale throughout the UK. 

The Regulators’ Pioneer Fund helps regulators to trial new, extra environment friendly methods of working that permit companies to convey their improvements to market sooner, in flip supporting the financial development mission on the centre of our Plan for Change. The fourth spherical of funding being introduced right this moment builds on its earlier section, which supported 24 pioneering tasks throughout the nation unlocking new alternatives in sectors like well being, transport, and vitality.  

All tasks obtain tailor-made help from the Regulatory Innovation Office, which helps regulators coordinate efforts and safely trial new approaches.  

An independent evaluation by the National Centre for Social Research discovered {that a} earlier spherical of the Fund helped trial new approaches that might not have occurred in any other case, embedding innovation extra deeply inside their organisations. It additionally strengthened collaboration between regulators and business, laying the groundwork for extra open, responsive regulation sooner or later.  

Support for the Regulatory Innovation Office 

Naomi Weir, CBI Technology and Innovation Director, mentioned:

The UK’s power lies in its capability to innovate, and turning that power into development means making certain regulation permits, quite than holds again, new concepts. As the UK appears to reform the broader regulatory panorama, the Regulatory Innovation Office has a essential position to play. Good regulation doesn’t simply handle danger, it permits funding, builds belief, and helps new applied sciences attain the market sooner, delivering higher outcomes for customers and society.

Businesses have valued engagement with the Regulatory Innovation Office in its first yr and welcome its renewed concentrate on addressing some system-wide points alongside focused know-how areas. The CBI appears ahead to partnering with RIO in its subsequent section to give companies a transparent avenue to elevate regulatory points affecting the event and deployment of progressive applied sciences, merchandise and services. Together, we can assist form a system that helps innovation, competitiveness and kickstarts development.

Dr Ben Glocker, Knowledge Transfer Lead, on the Causality in Healthcare AI Hub, mentioned: 

Meeting with RIO was a wonderful alternative to bridge the hole between cutting-edge AI analysis and real-world regulatory wants. RIO’s dedication to fostering collaboration amongst hubs, business, and regulators is crucial; it’s exactly what we’d like to make sure the protected and moral deployment of medical imaging AI within the UK and globally.

Dan O’Connor, Director of Regulatory and Early Access Policy on the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, mentioned: 

We help the Regulatory Innovation Office’s mission to simplify the regulatory panorama by streamlining processes that may lead to enhanced analysis and growth alternatives and profit sufferers in accessing new remedies at tempo. We look ahead to persevering with our partnership with authorities and regulators to make the UK the very best place on the planet to analysis, develop, and ship progressive medicines.

Craig Whittall, Policy and Programme Manager, Imperial Policy Forum, mentioned: 

It has been a pleasure to work with RIO over the course of their inaugural yr. They have been constant and clear of their strategic path, giving groups like ours a dependable demand-signal for the place our analysis can show most helpful. I’ve discovered RIO to be open and responsive of their engagement with us. RIO’s understanding of the significance of a pro-innovation regulatory atmosphere to allow to pull-through of transformative new applied sciences into the broader financial system is already figuring out and difficult roadblocks to the UK’s scientific progress.

Amita Randhawa, Director of Advocacy at CPI, mentioned: 

The RIO’s dedication to growing innovation sandboxes – not solely in digital well being but in addition in transformative fields like engineering biology – is an important step in direction of constructing agile, world-leading regulatory pathways. These efforts are instrumental in enabling breakthrough applied sciences to attain folks sooner and extra safely, whereas additionally serving to to break down limitations to innovation and strengthen the UK’s place as a worldwide innovation powerhouse.

Alec Jackson, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Apian, mentioned: 

The Regulatory Innovation Office has proven how business and authorities can ship collectively. RIO’s work with the Civil Aviation Authority to prioritise streamlining airspace adjustments and the SORA authorisation course of will speed up sustainable business drone supply, unlocking development and enabling Apian to present resilient, on-demand NHS logistics.

Andy Sporson, Founder of Autospray Systems, mentioned: 

RIO helped overcome a big regulatory impediment that might have in any other case required years of arduous decision, leading to substantial annual losses of roughly £200 million in crop yields for the sector. The RIO’s willingness to interact in collaborative partnerships with business to handle challenges exemplifies the progressive strategy important for facilitating and growing this quickly evolving sector.

Notes to editors

The 16 tasks receiving backing.

Medicines and Healthcare merchandise Regulatory Agency (MHRA)

£1 million to pilot AI assistants to assist the MHRA’s regulatory specialists assess scientific trials extra effectively and constantly.  

Land Data

£999,592 to set a brand new unbiased framework that can modernise conveyancing searches, as a part of efforts to enhance the homebuying and promoting course of  

British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)

£988,852 to develop an AI software, to help the age classification of movies streamed on demand.  

Milton Keynes Council

£781,817 to pilot a licensing regime for robots that would clear and de-ice pavements, and help wider work by the Council.  

Council for Licensed Conveyancers

£742,700 to check new belief requirements for Smart Property Data, supporting efforts to streamline homebuying and promoting  

Northumberland County Council

£725,912 to trial an AI software to assist assess flood danger in planning functions – and help builders to take flood dangers totally under consideration, from the beginning.  

London Fire Brigade

£535,722 to develop an AI-enabled smartphone app, to assist assess fireplace dangers in buildings and provides personalised security recommendation in actual time. 

Argyll and Bute Council

£508,193 to trial new requirements for ‘Beyond Visual Line of Sight’ drone operations over longer distances than these at the moment permitted – making deliveries of medicines and put up throughout the islands of Argyll and Bute that would lower supply occasions from hours to minutes  

Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority

£503,400 for a web based one-stop-shop to assist entrepreneurs deal with fundamental regulatory duties like firm registration and IP safety.  

Care Quality Commission

£488,778 to trial the usage of AI note-taking instruments in non-clinical settings, to assist scale back the workload on well being and social care employees.  

Environment Agency

£413,781 to check an AI platform for navigating the regulatory hurdles concerned in rolling out low carbon warmth networks, faster and simpler  

Glasgow City Council

£348,000 to assessment, after which develop a handbook on, how to roll out sensible sensors for damp detection, care monitoring, and extra in social housing.  

Greater London Authority

£294,483 for work wanting to make it simpler to convey disused underground belongings (like cables and pipes) again into use for brand spanking new use in new infrastructure. 

Medicines and Healthcare merchandise Regulatory Agency (MHRA)

£259,250 to check the protected use of artificial affected person knowledge, to help scientific trials tackling most cancers and childhood seizures.  

Information Commissioner’s Office

£192,865 for a People’s Panel to advise on public expectations for a way neurotechnologies must be regulated. Neurotechnologies interface immediately with the mind, and will supply hope to folks with medical situations like paralysis.  

North Sea Transition Authority

£107,033 to make offshore sector knowledge extra simply accessible, together with by way of an AI chatbot.