The newly founded Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has set out its research plans for 2024.
The department, which was set up in February last year, aims to further the UK’s ambition to be a global powerhouse in science, innovation and technology.
It will do this in a number of ways, including improving how government departments engage with researchers and making sure that policy aligns with scientific research.
DSIT has now published its Areas of Research Interest 2024 document, setting out those areas in which it is keen to “develop and enrich its evidence”.
The intention behind the document is to encourage submissions of research and develop a wider network of researchers and experts from across academia, industry and elsewhere.
National technology adviser Dave Smith said in a foreword that he encouraged experts with relevant knowledge and expertise to connect with DSIT to improve the evidence base and help inform science and technology policy in the UK.
Areas covered in the document include Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cyber Security and Digital Identity, Data Policy, Digital Infrastructure, and Security and Online Harms.
AI a key area for research
Unsurprisingly, AI is seen as a key research area, with DSIT describing the field as “the fastest growing deep technology in the world”, with the potential to rewrite the rules of entire sectors and transform all areas of modern life.
DSIT says that the UK’s national AI strategy is based on three pillars: long-term investment and planning, supporting the transition to an AI-enabled economy, and governance.
To support these strategic pillars, the department is looking for research in a number of areas, including the impacts of AI on the domestic labour market, productivity and growth.
It also wants to examine the UK’s current and potential capabilities, how AI benefits can be brought into the public sector, and how the risks posed by AI can be meaningfully assessed and prepared for.
Research into Cyber Security and Digital Identity will help to improve cyber risk management across the economy, including the setting of effective cyber security standards and designing risk out of the system.
Research into Data Policy, meanwhile, will aim to unlock the power of data across government, the economy and society as a whole.
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