UKIZ/EVIDENCE · MISSION SELECTION
Why these opportunities?
UKIZ does not begin with locations or buildings. It begins with evidence of where Britain has capability, where global opportunity exists and where better coordination or targeted intervention could create additional economic value.
Proposed by UKIZ · independent · not a government designation
No scores yet
A number would imply a precision UKIZ does not have.
Scoring a mission 82 out of 100 would look rigorous and mean very little. Until the methodology can withstand external scrutiny, assessments stay qualitative: strong evidence, developing evidence, or requires further research.
The nine criteria
01
Existing UK capability
What it measures
Research, companies, intellectual property, infrastructure and talent already present in Britain.
Why it matters
A mission built on capability Britain does not have is an aspiration, not an opportunity.
Evidence that would support it
Documented research strength, an existing company base, specialist facilities and skilled labour.
Evidence that would weaken it
Capability that is thin, dependent on a single organisation, or largely foreign-owned.
02
Global market opportunity
What it measures
Market scale, growth, export potential and investment trends in the relevant technologies.
Why it matters
Coordination cannot create demand that does not exist.
Evidence that would support it
Independent market data showing sustained growth and international demand.
Evidence that would weaken it
Markets dependent on subsidy, or shrinking on credible forecasts.
03
UK competitive advantage
What it measures
Where Britain has credible relative strength against international competitors.
Why it matters
Capability without advantage produces companies that are acquired rather than scaled here.
Evidence that would support it
Distinctive research, regulation, industrial base or supply-chain position.
Evidence that would weaken it
Competitors with structural advantages in cost, scale or state support.
04
Strategic importance
What it measures
Economic security, defence, energy, health, productivity and sovereign capability.
Why it matters
Some capability matters beyond its direct commercial return.
Evidence that would support it
Alignment with published national priorities and identified dependencies.
Evidence that would weaken it
No strategic dependency, and no market case either.
05
Commercialisation opportunity
What it measures
The path from research to IP, IP to company, company to scale, scale to export.
Why it matters
This is where Britain's record is most contested and most improvable.
Evidence that would support it
Evidence of a working pipeline, or of a specific identifiable break in it.
Evidence that would weaken it
Evidence that the pipeline already functions well without intervention.
06
Capital
What it measures
Availability by stage, gaps and dependency on international capital.
Why it matters
A constraint attributed to coordination is often a capital constraint.
Evidence that would support it
Data showing a persistent stage or regional gap.
Evidence that would weaken it
Evidence of an active private market at the relevant stage.
07
Infrastructure
What it measures
Existing assets, constraints and genuinely missing capability.
Why it matters
It distinguishes a mission that needs coordination from one that needs construction.
Evidence that would support it
Documented utilisation, waiting times, grid or facility constraints.
Evidence that would weaken it
Under-utilised existing facilities serving the same need.
08
Cross-cluster potential
What it measures
Whether connecting several existing ecosystems creates value neither could create alone.
Why it matters
It is the specific thing UKIZ claims to add.
Evidence that would support it
Complementary rather than duplicated capability across ecosystems.
Evidence that would weaken it
Capability concentrated in one place with no complementary strength elsewhere.
09
Additionality
What it measures
What UKIZ could cause to happen that would not otherwise happen.
Why it matters
Without it, an intervention is a transfer, not a gain.
Evidence that would support it
A credible account of activity that would not occur under current arrangements.
Evidence that would weaken it
Activity that would occur anyway, or that moves from elsewhere in Britain.
Where each mission currently stands
Current intervention hypotheses and the strength of evidence behind them. Four missions do not yet have a settled position, which is the honest state of the research.
- Life Sciences & Health InnovationUnder reviewRequires further research
- Engineering Biology & BiomanufacturingUnder reviewRequires further research
- Quantum TechnologiesUnder reviewRequires further research
- Semiconductors, Photonics & Advanced ConnectivityUnder reviewRequires further research
- Advanced MaterialsUnder reviewRequires further research
- Future Mobility & Advanced ManufacturingUnder reviewRequires further research
- Robotics & Autonomous SystemsUnder reviewRequires further research
- Space & Satellite TechnologiesUnder reviewRequires further research
- Clean Energy Systems & Industrial DecarbonisationUnder reviewRequires further research
- Defence, Security & Dual-Use TechnologyUnder reviewRequires further research
- AgriTech & Future Food SystemsUnder reviewRequires further research