• All companies bidding for government contracts worth more than £5million a year must commit to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050
• The UK is the first country in the world to put such a measure in place
• New requirements come ahead of COP26 where officials hope other countries will follow suit

New measures which require businesses bidding for major government contracts to commit to achieving net zero emissions come into force today.

The implementation of these rules will help deliver the manifesto promises made by this government to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The requirements will apply to any companies bidding for government contracts worth more than £5million a year, not just those who are successful.

The UK is the first country in the world to put such a measure in place, underlining the government’s leadership in the fight to tackle climate change.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Steve Barclay said:

These new rules show our bold and ambitious agenda to achieve Net Zero by 2050, protecting ourselves and future generations.

Government spends £290billion a year on procurement and it’s right that we use this spending power to green the economy.

Working arm-in-arm with business, we are taking giant strides to ensure this country is building back greener and tackling climate change.

The new requirements come into effect ahead of international climate conference COP26 which the UK will host later this year, with officials at the event working closely with climate experts and campaigners to encourage other countries to follow the UK’s example.

Andrew Griffith, UK Net Zero Business COP Champion, said:

The message to businesses is clear – engaging on net zero is no longer an option but a necessity from today, with businesses large and small now needing firm climate plans and commitments in place to supply major government contracts.

As we prepare to host the UN COP26 Summit this is exactly the type of leadership and collaboration required from government and business to show the world that we are serious about investing in a greener, more prosperous future.

A carbon reduction plan sets out where an organisation’s emissions come from and the environmental management measures that they have in place. Some large companies already self-report parts of their carbon emissions, known as Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect owned) emissions as part of the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting regulations published in 2018.

The new rules will go further, requiring a commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2050 at the latest, and the reporting of some Scope 3 emissions; including business travel, employee commuting, transportation, distribution and waste for the first time. Scope 3 emissions represent a significant proportion of an organisation’s carbon footprint. Understanding, reporting and reducing these emissions will play a substantial role in decarbonising governments supply chain, and the UK economy as a whole.

The new rules will drive forward the government’s green agenda while also striking a balance to not overly burden and potentially exclude small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) from bidding for government work.

CBI’s Director of Decarbonisation, Tom Thackray, said:

The scale and breadth of spend makes public sector procurement an essential tool in driving net zero progress across all sectors and regions of the country. This new policy will provide a sharp focal point for public-private partnerships.

Responding to their customers and investors, businesses are eager to accelerate progress towards net zero as part of a broader sustainability agenda. Working with the public sector they can demonstrate their excellence and underline the world-leading progress many industries have already made.

Mark Fox, Chief Executive of the BSA, said:

Achieving Net Zero means everyone – government, businesses, the VCSE sector and the public as a whole – working together as one.

Harnessing the power of public procurement is one important tool at the government’s disposal. That’s why the BSA welcomes this move. We and our members contributed to the process of drawing it up. It is another important step on the road to Net Zero. We are pleased to see government, alongside business and the VCSE sector, taking a lead on this issue.

The measures will apply to all central government departments as well as their Executive Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies.

The report illustrates the strong UK-India research and innovation relationship, its impact and the opportunities for further bilateral collaboration.

This report analyses bilateral research and innovation projects co-funded by India and UKRI and provides evidence of scholarly, economic and societal impact.

UKRI and Indian partners have co-invested over £330 million in joint programmes, which the report shows has generated more than £450 million in further funding, from public bodies, non-profit organisations and commercial entities, attesting to the relevance of these projects.

Delivered by Elsevier Pvt Ltd., this impact report is a testimony to the UK and Indian research and innovation communities working together towards shared challenges. The report exemplifies real-world impact, from life-saving medical devices to apps allowing a digital experience of Delhi. Over 200 technical outputs, including 84 new databases and 20 new pieces of software are listed as outcomes and impacts of UKRI-India collaboration in the report.

The report shows 1,665 scholarly publications, with an average field-weighted citation impact of 2.2, which is more than twice the global average. 5% of these publications were amongst the top 1% of most highly cited publications globally. Another interesting indicator is that 9% of all publications were written via academic–corporate collaboration, which is three times more than the global average.

UKRI-India projects align and contribute to UN Sustainable Development Goals, with over 43% of publications focusing on SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy and SDG 3 – Good Health and Wellbeing.

Since 2008, UKRI India has facilitated a diverse portfolio of collaborative programmes, with over 258 joint projects, more than 220 lead institutions from the UK and India. The report shows engineering, energy, and materials science as the top three subject areas for publications, impact has been noted in 21 sectors, including culture, social science and technology.

Download the report and read more about the impact of UKRI-India joint programmes.

Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India, said: > I welcome this report which shows how research and innovation contributes to the UK and India’s deep rooted partnership and collaborative efforts to transform the lives of people in both our countries, and beyond.

Welcoming the new report, Professor Christopher Smith, UKRI’s International Champion, said:

Everyone knows this highly interconnected world that we all inhabit is facing multiple challenges. Climate change and health are just two examples. But as this report demonstrates, our India and UK partnerships are brilliant examples of how international research and innovation collaboration plays a vital role in discovering sustainable solutions. Sharing our expertise, knowledge and experience through partnerships has brought positive benefits across India, the UK and globally, and we look forward to building on those successes in the years ahead.

Rebecca Fairbairn, Director UKRI India, said:

UKRI India is delighted with the findings of this report and the impact of our research and innovation collaboration with India. Our partnership with Indian funders has led to the development of new knowledge and products. Our shared commitment to high quality, high impact bilateral research and innovation is positively changing lives. As we launch this impact report, I am delighted to announce that we are working with our partner funders in India to explore new priority areas that connect to our shared 2030 Roadmap for India-UK future relations.

• Climate Adaptation and Resilience: Over £1m funding towards 8 new UK-India projects for collaborative research that addresses key environmental research challenges relevant to the COP26 Adaptation and Resilience Theme. Findings from these projects are expected to form the basis of future bilateral opportunities between the UK and India.

Enhancing Food Quality: A scoping project with an aim to gain a comprehensive view of the challenges, opportunities and capabilities in the UK and India in the areas of food and nutrition, and to recommend areas for future UK-India collaboration to solve public health challenges.

• Creative Industries and Cultural Heritage – In partnership with the British Council and other partners in India, UKRI has launched funding opportunities in the Creative Industries, Cultural Heritage and for research related to the 75th anniversary of Independence in India in 2022.

Further Information:

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) launched in April 2018, is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Our organisation brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England, which is responsible for supporting research and knowledge exchange at higher education institutions in England, and the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK. Our nine councils work together in innovative ways to deliver an ambitious agenda, drawing on our great depth and breadth of expertise and the enormous diversity of our portfolio. Through our councils we maintain and champion the creativity and vibrancy of disciplines and sector-specific priorities and communities. Our councils shape and deliver both sectoral and domain-specific support. Whether through research council grants, quality-related block grants from Research England, or grants and wider support for innovative businesses from Innovate UK, we work with our stakeholders to understand the opportunities and requirements of all the different parts of the research and innovation landscape, maintaining the health, breadth and depth of the system.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) India, plays a key role in enhancing the research and innovation collaboration between the UK and India. Since 2008, the UK and Indian governments, and third parties, have together invested over £330 million in co-funded research and innovation programmes across a range of subjects. This joint investment has led to more than 258 individual projects, with more than 220 lead institutions from the UK and India.

New priority areas:

• Climate Adaptation and Resilience: Over £1m funding towards eight new UK-India projects for collaborative research that addresses key environmental research challenges relevant to the COP26 Adaptation and Resilience Theme. Spanning over the next six months, these are small, scoping projects between teams of UK and Indian researchers to conduct research that addresses one or more questions around climate adaptation and resilience that link to the COP26 Action on Adaptation.

These eight projects are:

• Project title: EMPOWER: Empowering citizen and community adaptation to systemic risks from climate change

UK – University of Reading India – Indian Institute of Management, Nagpur and Sundarban Foundation

• Project title: Diversification of potential crop species in brackishwater aquaculture, adaptation for climate resilience

UK – University of Southampton India – Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (ICAR)

• Project title: ENACT: Evaluating the feasibility and efficacy of integrated catchment-scale Nature-based solutions for Climate Change adaptaTion in India

UK – Loughborough University India – Indian Institute for Technology (IIT) Roorkee, IIT Jammu, IIT Guwahati, The Assam Royal Global University, Jai Maa Bagala Helping Hand and Assam Science Technology and Environment Council

• Project title: Potential for scaling up indigenous rainwater harvesting techniques in semi-arid regions of India UK – Cranfield University

India – IIT Roorkee and Gram Vikas Navyuvak Mandal Laporiya (GVNML)

• Project title: Improving adaptation strategies for climate extremes and air pollution affecting India UK- University of Hertfordshire

India – IIT Bombay, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER), Punjab University and National Atmospheric Research Laboratory, India

• Project title: Developing a Framework for Landslide Susceptibility and Adaptability in South East Asia (SEAL) UK – Durham University

India – IIT Mandi and Seven Associated Consultants

• Project title: Understanding synergies and tensions in air quality-climate adaptation needs: A UK-India Proof of Concept

UK – University of Birmingham India – IIT Delhi

• Project title: An early warning system to improve adaptive capabilities and resilience of vulnerable Himalayan communities to extreme rainfall and flooding

UK – University of Birmingham India – IIT Roorkee and People’s Science Institute

Enhancing Food Quality led by UKRI’s Innovate UK: A scoping project with an aim to gain a comprehensive view of the challenges, opportunities and capabilities in the UK and India in the areas of food and nutrition, and to recommend areas for future UK-India collaboration to solve public health challenges.

• Creative Industries and Cultural Heritage led by UKRI’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) – UKRI’s AHRC and Innovate UK are working with the British Council and partners in India, to build partnership in the Creative Industries, Cultural Heritage and the 75th anniversary of Independence in India in 2022. The aims of this opportunity are to support a programme of India-UK collaborative research activities which map and analyse the current research and innovation landscape in these areas; highlight key outcomes of recently funded research; identify synergies and emerging research challenges; and foster new partnerships for engagement.

A call is currently open for applications from the UK. Deadline to submit 9 November 2021,1600 UK time.

Media

Media queries: geeny.george@ukri.org

My grandfather was born before the Wright brothers first took to the air, and men had landed on the moon within his lifetime. I started studying mathematics at school using a slide-rule and Log Tables, and we are now entering an age of Artificial Intelligence and robotics. Each generation will have its own experience and story to tell but the common theme is progress, the pace of which seems to be accelerating. If you want some statistics: there are around 54m autonomous vehicles of various types and 22bn smart devices in the world; about 4bn social media accounts, and roughly 300m photographs are uploaded every day. Even as I write, these figures are becoming out of date.

So what has this to do with the “Seafarers: at the core of shipping’s future”? Well, as the recently published study by the Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board (DMAIB) and Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) into Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) usage has highlighted, the boundaries between humans and machines are changing and responsibilities are becoming blurred. Only a couple of decades ago most activities onboard were completely human centred. Bridge watchkeepers took position lines and plotted them on charts to create ‘fixes’ from which future movements were extrapolated; chief officers carried out complex loading calculations; and, in the engine room, gauges were read in order to monitor system performance. Most of these tasks are now automated, with the human in the system reduced to the role of monitor, but still with the responsibility for stepping in, in time, to make safety critical decisions. Spare a thought for the chief officer on a 22,000 TEU container ship who is responsible for checking the stow plan provided to him by a shore-side loading computer, when the algorithms it used do not match the metrics in the ship’s Cargo Securing Manual.

There is a seductive side to technology. The more often it is right (or appears to be), the more we come to rely on it. “Why check? The machine is always right”, and human skills begin to fade from lack of use. After nearly 20 years as an accident investigator, I could be accused of becoming cynical, but in my view much of the maritime industry is compliance based: implement the standards and all will be OK. This approach neglects the fact that the pace of technological change can leave standards struggling to keep up, and ‘compliance’ alone does not provide the ‘assurance’ we expect. The good news is that we have yet to cross the Rubicon. Humans are still in charge, but to be effective they need to be appropriately trained, properly equipped, and following procedures that are fit for purpose. Anything short of that is a cop-out.

My plea, for World Maritime Day, is that across the spectrum we take time to focus on what we are requiring seafarers to do, and ask ourselves whether they have actually been trained to use the tools they need to do their jobs. Can they really discharge the responsibilities they have been given effectively?

Captain Andrew Moll, Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents