Making the UK a tech and science superpower: what can businesses take from the UK’s Budget?

Yesterday in the UK parliament, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the new Autumn Budget and three-year Spending Review, which set out the government’s ambition to make the UK a global technology and science superpower.

The Budget and Spending Review proposes sizeable overall investment in cyber security and legacy IT, with a huge focus on boosting the government’s systems. There was also a focus on continued investment and support for priority technologies like AI and quantum computing, as well as the underlying enablers of digital innovation, including infrastructure, skills and people, and economic adoption.

The UK is following in the footsteps of a range of governments across the globe announcing significant spending in science and technology. In Singapore, the Smart Nation initiative is helping to build a world-class digital infrastructure hub, and in the US a heightened focus on technology will see employment in computer and information technology add more than 531,000 jobs by 2029, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Commenting on the announcement, NCC Group’s global CTO, Ollie Whitehouse, said: “There is significant potential for cyber security to be an enabler of digital, economic, and technological innovation. It’s therefore important that the government’s focus on investment in cutting-edge capabilities is underpinned by digital skills and resilience. To continuously improve security overtime, it’s also vital that these ambitions are measured with clear metrics and KPIs.

"We look forward to seeing further details, including initiatives and funding allocations, in the upcoming National Cyber Strategy. To retain our leading position on the global stage, the government must continue to invest in key emerging science and technology including artificial intelligence, quantum in all it guises, and space technology – all with skills, security and resilience front of mind.”

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