From eliminating the need for animal testing, to supercharging our SpaceTech sector, the UK’s Regulatory Innovation Office could usher in a revolution in innovation in regulated industries across the economy.

Within three months of the General Election last year, the Labour Government launched the Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO), a manifesto commitment and first-of-a-kind cross-sector capability. As a member of the Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee, few things have excited me as much as what RIO could achieve.

RIO’s goal is to accelerate innovation in regulated sectors, critical to the Government’s central objective of growing our economy. It will never compromise safety or quality of service, indeed quite the contrary. RIO will ensure that regulation keeps pace with technology to enhance safety and security, deliver even better consumer outcomes, all whilst maximising the chance of the UK becoming home to technologies of the future.

Take its initial priorities announced in October last year. First, RIO will focus on the use of synthetic biology and biotech to create new products and services derived from organic sources. This has the potential to eliminate the need for animal testing in product development in the UK, speeding up the use of alternatives like organoids – something that I’ve seen for myself at Exeter’s RILD Centre.

Secondly, RIO will focus on the UK’s lively SpaceTech sector, an important new sector for us in the South west with the Newquay Spaceport, overcoming regulatory ambiguity and creating certainty for private investment.

Third, RIO will also be a critical enabler of our plans to use AI to revolutionise healthcare, putting patients at the heart of a digital-first, efficient and preventative health service.

And finally, RIO will double down on connected and autonomous technology, including how drones could be used safely in the postal service.

But aside from these four core areas, we’ve also already seen how RIO can be a catalyst for innovation in how regulators function - with a new sandbox announced for cultivated meat and new screening guidance for synthetic DNA printing.

It's not just the day to day focus of RIO that matters, but the signal it sends to entrepreneurs and large companies alike: the UK is the best place in the world to invent and innovate in regulated sectors. It should also be a fundamental part of delivering the Government’s Industrial Strategy when it comes - ensuring that regulation is not a blocker to achieving the missions of this Government.

We were one of the first countries in the world to launch regulatory sandboxes, and now RIO is setting the bar for how to join the dots across the economy, maintaining robust consumer protections alongside maximising economic growth. With the launch of the RIO, the future for tech innovation in the UK is exciting.

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