Policy area: Technology

Reports

Fair play: how competition policy can drive growth

This report from UK think tank IPPR sets out the case for an unwavering and robust competition policy, enforced by a more responsive regulator. The UK’s competition framework — and its regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority — has struggled to prevent rising market concentration and stagnant productivity. At the same time, the UK economy...

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Getting the balance right

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation looks at getting the balance right between copyright and AI. The UK is a global leader in AI development and innovation, but that status might be challenged by the UK’s copyright law, which could deter investment. As the Government begins a consultation on the topic,...

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Rebalancing European joint fires to deter Russia

This report from UK think tank RUSI considers the role of land-air integration in achieving the suppression and destruction of enemy air defences. NATO land forces are overwhelmingly dependent on air power for fires. Without large-scale US assistance, however, European air forces would currently struggle to roll back dense and integrated air defence systems (IADS)...

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The direction of AI innovation in the UK: Insights from a new database and a roadmap for reform

This report from UK think tank IPPR analyses the AI innovation landscape in the UK to determine which type of AI deployment is and is not currently taking place. Recent developments in artificial intelligence could have transformative effects on the economy. With the latest models achieving top scores in scientific and diagnostic reasoning tests, they...

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Winning the industrial war: comparing Russia, Europe and Ukraine, 2022–24

This report from UK think tank RUSI focuses on the key policy issues that have shaped military-industrial production in Russia, Ukraine and European NATO. During Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian defence industry has managed to significantly increase defence production. Ukraine has also done this, although to a lesser extent. European members of NATO,...

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Conflict prevention under pressure

This report from UK think tank Chatham House analyses how effective the most common interventions are and whether they are fit for future conflicts. With governments around the world seeking to reduce their foreign aid budgets, and at a time of increasing global crises, those involved in conflict prevention face having to do more with...

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European digital defence priorities in an uncertain world

This report from UK think tank RUSI assesses the digital defence capabilities, priorities and challenges facing five European states. The research, which assesses the digital defence capabilities, priorities and the challenges facing five European states - the UK, France, Germany, Poland and Spain – says that countries often possess robust digital technologies but struggle scaling...

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Airborne electromagnetic warfare in NATO: A critical European capability gap

This report from UK think tank RUSI provides recommendations for enhancing European electromagnetic warfare capabilities in NATO’s air and space forces. The research identifies the acute reliance of European NATO air forces on the US military for Electromagnetic Warfare (EW) capabilities to protect alliance aircraft and degrade enemy air defences. The report makes recommendations to...

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Decreasing transport poverty in Europe through public EV chargepoints

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation examines the EU's EV landscape, key challenges and policy changes. This briefing examines the EU's EV landscape, key challenges, and policy changes to ensure equitable access to this transformative tech. KEY POINTS Transport poverty affects households and businesses when adequate transport is not available, accessible,...

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The geopolitics of critical minerals

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society examines the geopolitics of critical minerals. The average global citizen rarely thinks or talks much about rare earth elements (REEs). However, these 17 metallic elements are indispensable to everyday life, forming the backbone of high-tech devices such as mobile phones, cameras, computer hard drives and...

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Rebuilding the Nation 05: Spurring innovation

This report from UK think tank the Future Governance Forum sets out how the government can create an environment where innovation thrives. Productivity has flatlined across the UK since the 2008 financial crisis, costing the economy tens of billions of pounds a year. Despite a world-class research base, UK firms struggle to translate early-stage ideas...

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The case for greater mission specialisation by NATO’s European air forces

This report from UK think tank RUSI argues for greater mission specialisation among NATO’s European air forces to effectively deter and defeat potential Russian aggression. However, the current approach of most states attempting to field small multirole fighter fleets that has preserved apparent sovereign freedom of choice in the relatively permissive or semi-permissive operations since...

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A helping hand: robotics in surgery

This report from UK think tank Reform explores the advantages of robotic assisted surgery and steps that can be taken to ensure their rollout. Surgical innovation has long produced some of the most transformational outcomes in medicine. Indeed, the advent of robotic assisted surgery is now offering unprecedented precision and minimally invasive procedures, in turn...

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Harnessing the power of the atom

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society reconsiders our nuclear energy policies, both at home and abroad. Back in 1953, the future looked bright. At the United Nations General Assembly, President Eisenhower heralded a new era for humanity: the era of nuclear power. The energy source would be “a great boon, for...

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How to power AI

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation sets out how to ensure the UK's energy system can meet the power demands of the technological revolution. Data centres are hugely important for the UK’s AI ambitions. They provide the compute power that AI applications rely on. If the UK wants to succeed in...

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