Law360, London: The UK-US trade deal is a starting point for closer economic ties, but the agreement needs more work on pharmaceuticals and intellectual property before it's finalised, according to professionals.

The Department for Business and Trade has announced that the UK-Ukraine Digital Trade Agreement (DTA) entered into force on 1 September 2024. The DTA, which is part of a series of UK government’s digital initiatives to support Ukraine’s digital economy, seeks to enable faster and cheaper trade between the two countries, support Ukraine’s economy during the ongoing conflict and enhance tech sector collaboration.

A UK-registered company is a company registered under the Companies Act 2006 but does not include an overseas company under certain circumstances.

The Home Office has confirmed that the UK/European Applicant Transfer Scheme is now closed to new applications. Applicants who have already submitted an application will be informed of the decision in due course.

The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) have signed a collaboration framework agreement to partner on the development of technologies in relation to the management of tritium, a fusion energy fuel that is crucial for fusion energy. This collaboration complements the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and Canada that enhances collaboration on key focus areas, including research and development, regulatory harmonisation, and skills and workforce development.

The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has completed the £10m extension of its Materials Research Facility (MRF) at Culham Science Centre in Oxfordshire. The new investment doubled the MRF’s size, providing an additional 12 shielded research rooms used to hold high-end analytical instrumentation ,and an extensive new active chemical laboratory space for scientists and engineers to develop more neutron-tolerant materials.

The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has published an Innovation Management Framework setting out how public research organisations can organise, govern and deliver innovation more effectively to support the translation of publicly funded research into economic, societal, strategic and environmental value. The framework sets out UKAEA's approach rather than prescribing a single model for other organisations and is intended to provide a reference for leaders and practitioners seeking to strengthen innovation capability. It is built around ten guiding principles and ten interconnected components covering innovation strategy, culture, governance, internal and external interfaces, intellectual property management, innovation accounting, portfolio management, innovation development and delivering value.

The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has published its first strategy since establishing subsidiary UK Fusion Energy Ltd in 2024, with remaining fusion research activities now constituting UKAEA's National Fusion Laboratory. The strategy sets out how UKAEA will deliver foundational research, technology and innovation to support the UK fusion sector, while UK Fusion Energy Ltd leads the design and delivery of prototype and future fusion power plants, in line with the UK government’s objective to expand the sector and capture economic and strategic benefits. It responds to increasing global demand for low-carbon, secure energy and rising international investment in fusion, while recognising significant technical and commercial challenges that require sustained public funding and collaboration. The approach focuses on addressing core fusion challenges, advancing research across the full lifecycle, and organising activity around international collaboration, research, commercialisation and industry development to strengthen UK capability and supply chains. Delivery is supported by substantial government investment in infrastructure, facilities, advanced computing and workforce development, alongside regional cluster growth. By 2030, UKAEA aims to support the design of a prototype fusion power plant, advance scientific knowledge, reduce technological risk and expand UK industrial capability, while acknowledging that fusion energy is unlikely to be deployed at scale before 2050.

The think tank, UK in a Changing Europe, has published an analysis of the European Commission’s recent recommendation for a Council Decision authorising the opening of negotiations for an EU-UK youth mobility agreement. Such an agreement would allow 18 to 30 year olds to travel between the UK and the EU for any purpose for up to four years, and visas could be imposed for this at a proportionate cost (ie it would not be 'free movement'), and would also involve the UK waiving the immigration health surcharge on legal migration routes. The Commission also proposes that EU students should be treated equally with UK students in terms of tuition fees at UK universities.

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained. A new version of the UKCG Code was published on 22 January 2024. For further information see UKCG Resource Note—2024 UK Corporate Governance Code—Introduction. This Resource Note considers the Introduction to the 2018 version of the UK Corporate governance Code and has been retained for reference purposes. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) publishes the UK Corporate Governance Code (UKCG Code). Corporate governance is the system of rules, practices and processes that are put in place to manage and control a company. A business that has effective corporate governance policies in place is likely to build an environment of trust, transparency and accountability and contribute to a more inclusive society by ensuring the interests of all its stakeholders are balanced. Good corporate governance is also believed to contribute to successful company performance and help businesses foster growth, long-term investments, financial stability and business integrity. In 2018, the FRC published a version of the UKCG Code that applies to accounting

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained. A new version of the UK Corporate Governance Code was published on 22 January 2024. For further information see UKCG Resource Note—2024 UK Corporate governance Code—Section 1—Leadership and purpose. This Resource Note considers Section 1 (Leadership and Purpose) of the 2018 version of the UK Corporate Governance Code and has been retained for reference purposes. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) publishes the UK Corporate Governance Code (UKCG Code). Corporate governance is the system of rules, practices and processes that are put in place to manage and control a company. A business that has effective corporate governance policies in place is likely to build an environment of trust, transparency and accountability and contribute to a more inclusive society by ensuring the interests of all its stakeholders are balanced. Good corporate governance is also believed to contribute to successful company performance and help businesses foster growth, long-term investments, financial stability and business integrity. In 2018, the FRC published

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained. A new version of the UK Corporate Governance Code was published on 22 January 2024. For further information see UKCG Resource Note—2024 UK Corporate governance Code—Section 2—Division of responsibilities. This Resource Note considers Section 2 (Division of responsibilities) of the 2018 version of the UK Corporate Governance Code and has been retained for reference purposes. This Resource Note outlines the main provisions of Section 2 of the UK Corporate Governance Code (UKCG Code), on ‘Division of responsibilities’, and highlights relevant third party materials, guidance, commentary and analysis, as well as our own resources, to give practical guidance on its application. Materials covered in this Resource Note include: • the Financial Reporting Council (FRC)'s 2018 Guidance on Board Effectiveness • guidance issued by the Chartered Governance Institute (previously known as ICSA: The Governance Institute) (CGI) • the 2024 United Kingdom and Ireland Proxy Voting Guidelines published by Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) • the Stewardship and Voting Guidelines