The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has announced new rules where the sharing of intimate images without consent will be classified as a ‘priority offence’ under the Online Safety Act 2023. Social media firms must proactively remove and prevent such content or face significant fines. This change aims to tackle online sexual offending and misogynistic content, supporting the government's goal to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade. These new rules will be reflected in the Online Safety Act 2023 (Priority Offences) (Amendment) Regulations 2024.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has announced £150m for three UK Research and Innovation programmes spanning healthcare, clean energy and advanced materials. The funding aims to improve early disease diagnosis, accelerate clean energy development and support domestic manufacturing. It includes £55m for Centres of Imaging Excellence to speed up cancer diagnosis, £15m for Blue Horizon to expand tidal test facilities in Orkney and £80m for a National Materials Innovation Programme to accelerate cutting-edge materials into the market and support national renewal.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), along with The Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP and The Rt Hon Peter Kyle MP, announced that BioNTech will commit up to £1bn over 10 years to invest in the United Kingdom. This substantial investment, underpinned by up to £129m in government support, is designed to expand the life sciences sector and bolster economic growth. BioNTech plans to establish two new research and development hubs, one in Cambridge and an AI hub at its forthcoming UK headquarters in London, which will each generate hundreds of highly skilled jobs in fields including genomics, oncology, structural biology, regenerative medicine, and clinical research.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), alongside Innovate UK and the Department of Health and Social Care, has awarded £3.6m to 17 UK-based projects through Innovate UK’s Mindset XR for digital mental health programme, as announced by the Science Minister, Lord Vallance and Mental Health Minister, Baroness Merron. Other funded initiatives include a board game developed by Play Well for Life and the University of the West of England to help children build communication and social skills by exploring four themed ‘worlds’ designed to support friendship, problem-solving and emotional regulation, gradually reducing anxiety and building confidence. In Northern Ireland, the Life Process Program is developing a customisable virtual coach to support individuals with substance abuse issues through interactive environments that simulate real-life therapy sessions. In West Yorkshire, EcoGPX is combining extended reality with physical activity to connect people with nature and support adults experiencing generalised anxiety. Additionally, a world-first app is being developed that merges AI with augmented reality to enable young people to create therapeutic visual content. These breakthrough medical device technologies form part of a targeted investment to deliver digital health benefits to the NHS, supporting the government's recently launched 10 Year Health Plan.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has announced a £37m funding boost ahead of the UK AI Safety Summit. This £37m is funded through the UKRI Technology Missions Fund announced in the Science and Technology Framework, and delivered by the Innovate UK BridgeAI programme to support AI innovation in high-growth industries. Of the £37m funding, £5m has been awarded to feasibility studies for 100 projects involving UK registered micro, small or medium-sized businesses in collaboration with academic institutions where appropriate. This funding is intended to support AI tools being used right across the economy. Research teams and businesses of all sizes in high-growth industries are encouraged to apply for their share of £32m, which is now open for bids. This funding is intended to help grow AI initiatives in a safe and responsible way, boost the wider sector, and support workforces. The £32m competition will close on 8 November 2023.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has commissioned research to map and evaluate existing best practices for managing risks related to open-source software. The research examines how organisations should manage risks when using open source components in their software development activities, exploring the effectiveness of current guidance across different organisation sizes and sectors. This forms part of DSIT's wider work to improve software security and resilience policy, addressing specific concerns around open source dependencies and their maintenance in the software supply chain. The research will inform future interventions for both public and private sectors on promoting best practices for managing open source software risk.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has confirmed an investment of £20.4bn in UK research and development (R&D) funding announced during the Autumn Budget 2024. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP, also announced that DSIT’s R&D budget will increase to £13.9bn and core research funding to £6.1bn. Additionally, the DSIT also stated that the Life Sciences Innovation Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF), announced during the Autumn Budget 2024, has opened and will accept expressions of interest for the initial £70m in grants on a rolling basis. The LSIMF will make up to £520m available in the long term, and is expected to attract up to £1.8bn in private investment. In addition, announcements were made about the Spin-Out Review Proof of Concept Fund, the Innovation Accelerators and Made Smarter Innovation programmes, and Project Gigabit and the Shared Rural Network.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has confirmed that the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will be introduced to Parliament in 2025. This confirmation follows the announcement of the Bill in the July 2024 King's Speech. The Bill will aim to strengthen the UK’s cyber defences, safeguard critical infrastructure and essential services from rising cyber attacks by protecting more digital services and supply chains and enhance incident reporting.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has opened a consultation on its proposals to amend the data protection fees that are payable by data controllers to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The proposed amendments seek to secure the financial resources required to ensure the ICO is able to fulfil its functions, which include the provision of guidance, advice and support to organisations and achieving full cost recovery in line with HM Treasury’s principles on managing public money. The consultation is open until 26 September 2024.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has launched a technical consultation on draft secondary legislation to implement sections 61–64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 (PSTIA 2022). The draft regulations propose amendments to Part 2 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 (LTA 1954) in England and Wales, as well as the Business Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 1996, SR 1996/725. These changes aim to alter the financial terms of lease renewals by replacing the existing valuation frameworks with provisions modelled on those in the Electronic Communications Code. The changes will apply to tenancies that confer Code Rights on telecommunications operators in relation to telecommunications infrastructure. The consultation specifically seeks views on whether the saving and transitional provisions in the draft regulations give effect to their intended objectives—namely, ensuring a smooth transition from the old to the new valuation frameworks for leases nearing renewal or termination, and preventing landlords from having to repay rent collected under the previous market valuation model. The consultation closes on 2 July 2025.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has launched a consultation on children’s use of social media, gaming platforms and AI chatbots as part of a broader national conversation on digital wellbeing. The DSIT is seeking input on proposals aimed at ensuring children benefit from positive and enriching online experiences. Parents, carers, young people, civil society organisations, academics and industry stakeholders are invited to respond across five key themes: understanding children’s engagement with technology; measures to promote safer and more constructive online environments; strengthening compliance with and enforcement of online safety rules; equipping children for a digital future while enhancing their online experiences and improving support for families. The consultation closes on 26 May 2026.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has launched two consultations calling for views on new measures aimed at enhancing cybersecurity in AI and software, contained respectively in two new codes of practice. The codes establish requirements for software and AI developers to fortify their products against tampering, hacking and sabotage , with the aim of boosting confidence in the use of AI models and thereby driving growth in the cybersecurity sector. Both consultations close on 10 July 2024.