Regulate to innovate: techUK’s response to the launch of the Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO)

The launch of the Regulatory Innovation Office provides a new opportunity to remove barriers to technology deployment in the UK.

The launch of the Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO) with a promise to “reduce the burden of red tape on innovation and help kickstart economic growth” is an important step in the right direction when it comes to ensuring that cutting edge technologies are able to be deployed commercially.

The launch follows a long history of work on regulatory reform by techUK and others to encourage a more pro-innovation regulatory landscape. This was one of the key recommendations in our Seven Tech Priorities for the next Government, which called for a pro-growth framework for our regulators and a taskforce focused on the commercialisation of tech.

Supporting innovation

The UK is home to amazing array of innovation, however, historically we have been slow to deploy new technologies at pace and at scale. Without addressing this problem, we risk missing out on the next wave of technological advancements including AI and autonomous vehicles.

By smoothing the path to deployment of new technologies, the RIO can open the door to significant applications both in the commercial sphere and for public services. If done right, this could mean unlocking billions of pounds of additional investment to help fund new research, as well as helping cutting edge technologies make the leap from the research lab to the marketplace, where they can be of most help to all.

We have seen this approach work successfully before. The office’s focus on autonomous technologies follows the success of techUK member Wayve in securing the largest ever investment in a European AI company, at over £840m. Last year, techUK and members such as Wayve successfully called on the Government to pass its Autonomous Vehicles Bill, providing a route to market for its technology.

techUK and our members are therefore supportive of the aims of the new office, and we look forward to working closely with the Chair as soon as the appointment process is complete.

The RIO's mission is strongly aligned with techUK's flagship Unleashing Innovation campaign, which showcases the potential of emerging and transformative technologies and convenes key stakeholders to turn strategy into action.

To be as successful as possible, the RIO should work closely with the private sector to identify the outdated regulatory barriers they face, as well as the most promising opportunities for further attention.

The road to RIO

The RIO builds on a long history of work on regulatory innovation. From the report of the Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform (TIGRR) in 2021 to the work of the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee on regulatory accountability and independence, as well as the Government’s own Smarter Regulation programme.

It also follows Sir Patrick Vallance’s successful review of digital technologies conducted in 2023 – particularly notable given that the new office will sit under Vallance’s ministerial remit. techUK was pleased to feed into this review, which took forward several of our members’ key recommendations.

The fact that the new office will be, in-part, replicating this important review on a rolling basis will help to ensure that the remit of the RIO remains relevant, timely, and targeted to deliver maximum benefits to both businesses and consumers.

We know too that regulators themselves have sometimes struggled to grapple with the speed of technological advancement. A new office signposting areas of specific focus and detailed review, designed to speed up approvals and encourage cross-regulator collaboration, will be a welcome new voice to have at the table. The ability for experts to work with regulators to update their books is an important one, and the RIO will be an important port of call for future regulatory engagement across multiple sectors.

We are encouraged to see that Space is one of these four initial focus areas, in particular given techUK called for Government to streamline regulatory processes in our Emerging Space Technologies report, published earlier this year.

techUK will be working closely with DSIT and RIO officials over the coming months to help ensure the office fulfils its important mission.

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