Key Facts

• Dr Peter Highnam, deputy director at US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), testified.
• Professor Pierre Azoulay from Massachusetts Institute of Technology provided evidence.
• Dr Regina E. Dugan, CEO of Wellcome Leap, was present to give testimony.
• Dr Peter Highnam explains that projects at DARPA are well-defined with clear metrics, independent evaluations, and regular assessments.
• Heilmeier questions are used to make the case for starting a project and include five critical questions that assess feasibility and impact.
• Wellcome Leap was created in 2018 by the Wellcome Trust to address an innovation gap characterized by larger programmes with higher risk tolerance.
• DARPA's mission is to create and prevent strategic surprise related to national defence.
• ARPA-E has a high-level mission to overcome technological barriers in energy development.
• ARIA currently lacks a defined mission compared to other ARPA models.
• Breakthroughs require significant effort to transition from their originating organization to impact.
• DARPA has a single customer for its projects, while ARPA-E faces a more diverse ecosystem with multiple actors.
• ARIA should create tech-to-market groups to facilitate the translation of breakthroughs into practical applications.
• Dr Dugan emphasizes the necessity of ARIA remaining independent to achieve specific outcomes.
• DARPA operates with about 0.5% of the US Department of Defense (DOD) budget.
• Wellcome Leap built a health breakthrough network with almost 30 signatories on six continents.
• Professor Azoulay agrees with previous comments about the effectiveness of ARPA models but highlights that replicating them depends on context.
• Dr Highnam notes only one complete replication of DARPA exists within US intelligence agencies.
• Dr Dugan uses an analogy comparing setting up ARIA to a football team led by a coach like Guardiola, emphasizing principles and practices.
• Wellcome Leap prioritizes independence, experienced leadership, and freedom from profit motives in its operations.
• Intellectual property is typically owned by the creator but may have government rights for national security purposes.
• Judith Cummins introduces Professor Dame Anne Glover and Tabitha Goldstaub.
• Professor Glover is a molecular biologist with experience as chief scientific adviser for Scotland and the President of the European Commission.
• Tabitha Goldstaub is co-founder of CognitionX and chair of the UK Government’s AI Council.
• Three per cent of all peer-reviewed journals are now AI-related.
• There has been a 50% year-on-year increase in biology and AI collaboration papers since 2000.
• Demis Hassabis aims for DeepMind's projects to win Nobel prizes.
• The witnesses recommend ARIA should be independent but have good relationships with central and local governments.
• Anne Glover suggests that ARIA needs inspirational leaders who are open-minded and credible.
• Tabitha Goldstaub mentions the importance of systemic transformation where technology and policy regulation cannot be separated.
• £800 million allocated for ARIA's initial funding.
• Professor Glover estimates DARPA’s annual funding is about $3.5 billion or $4 billion.
• Tabitha Goldstaub suggests ARIA should not be restricted in matching Government funding with private sector funds.
• European Commission funded three brilliant projects.
• Scotland’s National Academy (Royal Society of Edinburgh) receives governmental funding but is independent from Government.
• Transparency can prevent accusations of governmental influence over reports.
• Judith Cummins closes the session at 15:01:00.
• The next panel comprises Adrian Smith, president of the Royal Society; Felicity Burch, director of innovation and digital at the CBI; and Professor Sir Jim McDonald from the Royal Academy of Engineering.
• The Committee has until 4:30 pm to question the new witnesses.
• The sitting is suspended at 15:46 due to a division in the House.
• The session will resume at 16:00 (4.9 pm).
• Judith Cummins apologizes to the witnesses for the delay.
• The Bill provides a minimum length of time for ARIA’s existence of 10 years.
• There is no provision for a minimum length of time for funding in the Bill.
• Collaboration with UK and international bodies is seen as important.
• Witnesses advocate for a long-term view on funding high-risk research.
• The value-for-money concept needs to be innovated for disruptive innovation.
• Projects deemed unsuccessful may still produce valuable outcomes in terms of skills and lessons learned.
• Long-term vision is essential for building new research capability and supply chains.
• Adrian Smith mentions that the United States invests around 3% in R&D while Israel invests about 4.7%.
• There is a discussion on the need for ARIA to have operational independence but also input from stakeholders to define its mission.
• Felicity Burch advises that businesses will be more willing to second employees to ARIA once it has a clear purpose and established credibility.
• David Cleevely is a serial entrepreneur with experience in telecoms and biotech.
• Dr Bob Sorrell chairs the Campaign for Science and Engineering.
• The session will run for half an hour.
• Bob Sorrell is the chair of the Campaign for Science and Engineering.
• ARIA needs to match market demand with research outputs from academia and industry collaboration.
• Strong public procurement can serve as an initial customer for emerging technologies developed by ARIA.
• The importance of setting priorities for challenges like climate change or defence technology.
• Establishing a culture that accepts failure as part of scientific progress.
• Ensuring robust peer-review processes to prevent pet projects and cronyism.
• Judith Cummins highlights the need for a partnership between industry, Government and academia.
• Flexibility in models such as seconding people into ARIA is proposed.
• Integration of learnings between ARIA and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) should be encouraged.
• Judith Cummins thanked the witnesses for their evidence.
• The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at 9.25 am.