Former Science Minister appointed as innovative regulation Chair to bring game-changing tech like drone medicine deliveries to the public faster

David hosted a lecture, 'On the Horizon: the UK Space Agency as an Agency for Growth and Security', as part of the annual Sir Edward Heath University Lecture series.

Two Brits won Nobel prizes last year for their work on AI. Sir Demis Hassabis created Deep Mind which uses large datasets not just to learn to win at Go but also to identify protein structures; Geoffrey Hinton won his for the original insights into how a large language model could work.

David Willetts debates in the House of Lords on Science and Technology: Economy

One of the advantages of a large majority is that there is more generous political cover for experts brought into

The British Model of Innovation and the International Background

A year ago, the Prime Minister set up the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) with a mission to make the UK the most innovative economy in the world and cement our place as a science and technology superpower.

Ten years ago I launched, in a pamphlet for Policy Exchange, initiatives to invest in Eight Great Technologies1. Instead of vague talk about Industrial Strategy it was intended to test some very specific propositions: that Government could successfully identify key general purpose technologies and that it could back them on their way to successful commercialisation.

Read David's thoughts on the past 100 years of science policy

Policy Exchange is delighted to host Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister for Universities and Science, to set out how the UK could become world leaders in eight future technologies and the role of government in promoting and financially supporting these industries.