Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

UK Tech Sector

Thursday 18 June 2020 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • UK tech sector is the most successful in Europe, attracting a third of all European tech investment in the previous year.
  • British entrepreneurs are developing technology medicines, including apps and medical devices, to fight coronavirus.
  • Cambridge-based C2-Ai won the CogX award for covid-19 health innovation, demonstrating UK's cutting-edge health tech sector.

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Questions & Answers

Q1 Alan Mak Con Wallasey
Business & Trade
Context

Inquiry about support for UK tech sector in exporting and accessing overseas markets.

Question

What support her Department is providing to the UK tech sector to help them export and access overseas markets?

Answer from Graham Stuart, Minister of State for Trade Policy

I know that my hon. Friend is, like me, proud that the UK tech sector is the dominant and most successful in Europe. With 79 unicorns and counting, last year the sector attracted a third of all European tech investment—more than France and Germany combined. That success has continued this year, and just last week the Secretary of State launched a new tech strategy to support the internationalisation of our firms, including a digital trade network across the Asia Pacific.

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Q2 Alan Mak Con Wallasey
NHS Business & Trade
Context

Inquiry about support for health tech start-ups to access overseas markets.

Question

British entrepreneurs are at the cutting edge of developing technology medicines—from apps to medical devices—in the fight against coronavirus. What support is my hon. Friend giving to our health tech start-ups to access overseas markets where British innovation can help to save lives?

Answer from Graham Stuart, Minister of State for Trade Policy

My hon. Friend is right: companies such as Cambridge-based C2-Ai, which last week won the CogX award for covid-19 health innovation, are leading the way in the UK's cutting-edge health tech sector. C2-Ai saves lives by predicting avoidable harm and mortality to free up capacity in intensive care units for covid-19 patients. My Department is supporting dozens of firms just like C2-Ai that are looking to provide covid-19-related treatments. We have also produced a directory of those British digital health companies that provide covid-19 solutions and shared that with our international network, in response to inquiries from Governments around the world.

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