The Advanced Research and Invention Agency Act 2022 (c. 4) is an act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that creates the

Advanced Research and Invention Agency The Advanced Research and Invention Agency, or ARIA, is a research funding agency of the UK government, announced on 19 February 2021 and formally established on 26 January 2023. History The Advanced Research and Invention Agency Act 2022 cre ...

. It was introduced in the House of Commons by the

Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy The secretary of state for business and trade (business secretary), is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Department for Business and Trade. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of t ...

Kwasi Kwarteng Akwasi Addo Alfred Kwarteng (born 26 May 1975) is a British politician who served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer from September to October 2022 under Liz Truss and the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from 202 ...

on 2 March 2021.

Background

The government have said that the

(ARIA) is an attempt to emulate the United States'

Advanced Research Projects Agency The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military. Originally known as the Adva ...

(ARPA) and similar governmental agencies such as in Germany and Japan. Former adviser to Prime Minister

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...

Dominic Cummings Dominic Mckenzie Cummings (born 25 November 1971) is a British political strategist who served as Chief Adviser to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson from 24 July 2019 until he resigned on 13 November 2020. From 2007 to 2014, he was a speci ...

, is credited with inspiring the Government to push forward with this policy. Cummings was called in front of the

Science and Technology Select Committee The Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The original Science and Technology Committee was abolished upon the creation of the Innovation, Univ ...

's inquiry into the plans for ARIA.

Notable amendments

Purpose of ARIA

The SNP's Business spokesperson

Stephen Flynn Stephen Mark Flynn (born 13 October 1988) is a Scottish politician who has served as the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in the House of Commons since December 2022. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Aberdeen South si ...

and Labour's Shadow Minister for Science, Research and Digital

Chi Onwurah Dame Chinyelu Susan "Chi" Onwurah (; born 12 April 1965) is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West (UK Parliament constituency), Newcastle ...

pushed an amendment to a division that would have changed the primary objective of ARIA to focus on net-zero technologies. All parties supported the amendment except the

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

and the DUP. The amendments failed.

Freedom of information

Labour also put forward an amendment that would have put ARIA under the scope of the

Freedom of Information Act 2000 The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (c. 36) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that creates a public right of access to information held by public authorities. It is the implementation of freedom of information legislation in t ...

as the Act has an exemption. This amendment also failed.

References

{{Reflist Advanced Research and Invention Agency United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 2022