From day one as DSIT’s Secretary
of State, I have sought to place the best and brightest minds from the worlds
of science and technology at the heart of our department’s
decision-making. Our non-executive directors are key to this effort.
Their insights and guidance are instrumental in helping us
drive economic growth, create the high-skilled, high-paid jobs of the future,
and pursue bold discoveries that improve people’s everyday lives. Past
non-executive directors have come from all walks of life, bringing a wealth of
experience and expertise to the table. They have been the pioneers of our
country’s most daring space missions. Board members of our most innovative
businesses. Scientists from our most prestigious universities.
With their help, we have started to embed DSIT into the
public's consciousness as an inspiring, forward-looking department, squarely
focused on delivery. Their views have informed our plans for wireless, AI,
semiconductor and quantum technologies, for example. And they have
overseen our investment of hundreds of millions of pounds in R&D, in
innovation accelerators and in our life sciences.
I want us to build on this momentum so that we can secure
the UK’s position as a science and tech superpower by 2030. The next
cohort of non-executive directors will help us turn that vision into a reality.
They will help us make sure our department is fully geared up for success –
with the right people, in the right places, with the right tools to spur growth
and innovation. There are so many opportunities for our non-executives to
contribute to the mission in our department, whether that is:
·
rolling out gigabit capable broadband and 5g
networks to the most rural parts of the country
·
supporting our world-leading researchers to find
breakthroughs in modern medicine, like BioNTech’s life-saving mRNA vaccine for
cancer patients
·
harnessing hydrogen, solar, and wind power to
help us gain energy independence and slash
winter fuel bills
·
boosting our advanced manufacturing bases in places
like Glasgow, Manchester and the West Midlands, creating the jobs of tomorrow
across a whole host of different industries - from space and satellites to
science and shipbuilding.
In all of this work, I want us to work hand-in-hand with our
non-executive directors to make DSIT the most innovative department in
government - to be as bold and as daring in its ambition as the sectors it
champions.
On behalf of all of us at DSIT,
I would like to thank you for your interest in being part of this journey. I
hope you will join us in our mission to realise the brightest of futures for
science, innovation, and technology in the UK.
The Rt Hon
Michelle Donelan
Secretary of State for
Science, Innovation and Technology