The Government has launched a new ‘Regulatory Innovation Office’ (“RIO”) within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, which aims to “reduce the burden of red tape and speed up access to new technologies that improve our daily lives”.

According to the Government press release, this will be achieved by the RIO supporting regulators to update regulation, speed up approvals, and ensure different regulators are better able to work together. The RIO will also “continuously inform the government of regulatory barriers to innovation, set priorities for regulators which align with the government’s broader ambitions and support regulators to develop the capability they need to meet them and grow the economy”.

The initial focus of the RIO will be to support the growth of four areas which the Government has identified as “fast-growing areas of technology making a difference to people’s lives” and which, because of their ‘cross-cutting nature’, do not “fit neatly into existing regulatory frameworks”. These are: (1) Engineering Biology, namely “the use of synthetic biology and biotechnology to create new products and services derived from organic sources”; (2) Space, including everything from GPS to weather forecasting; (3) Artificial Intelligence and digital in healthcare; and (4) Connected and autonomous technology such as drones.

Commenting on the launch of the RIO, the Science and Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle, said “the launch of the Regulatory Innovation Office, a key manifesto commitment, is a big step forward in bringing the UK’s most promising new technologies to the public faster and safely while kickstarting economic growth. By speeding up approvals, providing regulatory certainty and reducing unnecessary delays, we’re curbing the burden of red tape so businesses and our public services can innovate and grow, which means more jobs, a stronger economy, and a better quality of life for people across the UK. From breakthroughs that could help doctors diagnose illnesses earlier to satellite navigation for more accurate weather forecasting and getting emergency supplies to where they are needed, quickly and effectively, RIO will make sure UK companies are at the forefront of the next generation of technologies”.

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