Tech and Innovation Summit 2025

Registration

Lunch

Coffee break

Coffee break

Closing remarks

As the global conversation and competition to develop Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) begins to intensify, the UK possesses unique strengths that could, over the next decade, position it to lead in the development of foundational technologies potentially set to underpin this future evolution of AI. These range from neuromorphic computing and quantum systems to brain-computer interfaces, photonics, and advanced mathematics. So, could the UK lead the world in the development of AGI? And if so, do we have what we need to do this technically and in an ethical and responsible way? This panel will explore how the UK could harness its world-leading academic research, deep tech expertise, and track record in AI technologies over the coming decade and beyond to shape the next wave of AI innovation.

Discussion topics:

Which technologies are set to underpin AGI and what makes the UK well placed to lead on their development and deployment over the next decade and beyond? How can the UK’s innovation organisations catalyse bold, high-risk research that advances the underlying science and engineering of AGI in the long term? What kinds of missions could position the UK as a global pioneer in future AI infrastructure? How can UK policymakers and regulators enable ambitious innovation while ensuring safety, ethics, and public trust in technologies that may eventually support AGI? What models of agile regulation and foresight are needed to stay ahead of the curve?

Fireside chat: Designing Regulation for the Next Decade of Innovation with Lord Willetts, Executive Chair at the Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO), Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

An in-depth discussion with Lord Willetts, the first Chair of the Regulatory Innovation Office, regarding the future of regulatory innovation in the UK.

Discussion topics will include the Chair’s reflections on RIO’s first year, RIO’s current priority areas, cross-cutting issues impacting regulators, and how RIO will work with business and industry to foster safe innovation through regulation.

Join Professor Sir Ian Chapman for a forward-looking conversation on how the UK can harness emerging research and innovation to drive economic growth and societal progress. With long-term investment strategies and bold policy moves underway, this session will explore the role of UKRI in shaping the innovation landscape of the future. Expect insights into how government, industry, and academia can collaborate to unlock the full potential of AI, Quantum, Robotics and more. This fireside chat offers a unique opportunity to hear directly from one of the UK’s leading voices in research and innovation.

From AI-enabled biotech to quantum-powered cybersecurity, the increasing convergence of technologies is resulting in an explosion of new and novel applications. But what does this mean for UK policymakers, regulators and businesses? After exploring how powerful synergies between AI, robotics, quantum, IoT, and beyond are set to reshape sectors and create new business models over the coming decade, our expert panel will ask whether the UK is truly ready to seize the opportunities at these intersections.

Discussion Topics:

What are the key drivers that are causing certain technologies to converge? How convergence is creating entirely new markets and reshaping traditional sectors like healthcare, energy, and manufacturing Is the UK’s technology, policy and regulatory landscape positioned to realise the opportunity of convergence? If not, what needs to change by 2035 to ensure future success? How UK businesses can embrace these convergences to innovate and scale

Over the next ten years, autonomous systems will increasingly move out of the lab and into UK factories, hospitals, farms and even homes. But are we ready? This panel takes a clear-eyed look at the readiness of UK industry, infrastructure, and regulation for the mass adoption of robotics and physical AI and asks what more the UK must do to seize the opportunity and drive deployment at scale.

Discussion Topics:

Which technologies are advancing or converging to set the scene for the mass deployment of robots, smart machines and autonomous systems over the coming decade? Real-world use cases: where is deployment already happening and how does it look? How can the UK place crucial ethical, safety and workforce implications at the heart of deployment? Infrastructure, interoperability and regulation: what more should the UK do to make the most of initiatives such as the £40m Robotics Adoption Hubs network, seize the automation opportunity, and drive the next decade of deployment at scale?

The UK has long aspired to nurture technology giants capable of competing at the very top of the global stage. But what would it really take to build the country’s first trillion-dollar tech business? And what actions should UK industry and government take over the next decade to put this bold ambition into practice? This panel unpicks government’s ambition, set out in the Industrial Strategy, to ‘secure the UK’s first trillion-dollar technology business’, asking what form success may take, how the UK can drive access to scale-up finance, and what more needs to be done to make this trillion-dollar ambition a reality.

Discussion topics:

What does the path to a trillion-dollar valuation look like and which technologies or sectors hold the most promise for the UK? How can the UK improve access to late-stage growth capital, foster investor appetite to scale, and retain the most promising scale-ups? Does the UK have the right policies, regulations, and institutions in place to enable this trillion-dollar company to emerge over the coming decade?

Have you ever wondered how to make sense of a UK tech sector that's increasingly complex and unpredictable? In his own inimitable style, Jonathan will walk attendees through a wide range of potential future scenarios that cut across the usual technology silos. In doing so, he'll set out how the convergence and combination of technologies, underpinned by macro trends such as demographics and climate change, is resulting in new possibilities for innovators and tech businesses across the UK. Using a number of examples, he will also identify ‘perfect storms’ in which innovations and circumstances converge to produce impactful change and make the case for identifying original core technologies which can drive completely new opportunities. This session will provoke attendees into thinking about possibilities that they otherwise wouldn’t consider and equip technology businesses of all sizes with the tools and knowledge to stay ahead of the curve. It's time to think like a Futurist!

A presentation from our Headline Sponsor, Zoho Corporation.

Robert will explore why digital resilience is more than just backups or recovery plans. It’s about staying adaptable, secure, and valuable no matter what comes next. He’ll share how organisations can strengthen their systems with cloud-first platforms and real-time visibility, give their people the tools and skills to solve problems faster, and design operations that keep running even under pressure. He’ll also show how AI can help organisations anticipate change, lower barriers for teams, and maintain continuity.

The big message: resilience is a muscle, and building it now is what will set future leaders apart.

2025 has been designated the International Year of Quantum, setting the foundations for innovation and growth. Nowhere has this been recognised more than in the UK. Following the Spending Review and Modern Industrial Strategy, and with the National Quantum Strategy in motion, the UK is well positioned to build on its success and ensure that over the next decade we transform research excellence into commercial and geopolitical advantage. This panel will explore how this can be achieved.

Discussion topics:

What the International Year of Quantum means for the UK and it sets the foundation to shape the global quantum agenda for the next decade How UK-led quantum breakthroughs are already transforming sectors like finance, pharmaceuticals, logistics, and cybersecurity What’s needed to deliver the UK’s 10-year National Quantum Strategy until 2033, from funding and regulation to skills and infrastructure – and what happens beyond this strategy? Supporting commercialisation, scaling startups, and attracting private investment across the quantum value chain How the UK can shape international standards, partnerships, and responsible governance in a fast-moving geopolitical context