Chair of the Advisory Group on a Commercial Approach to Defra’s Research and Development (R&D) and Innovation Funding

Chair of Advisory Group on a commercial approach to Defra’s R&D and Innovation funding:

This Advisory Group is a new body which will provide external expertise on how to deploy Defra’s Research and Development (R&D) and ??Innovation funding ??to better support innovators in Defra sectors on their journey to becoming thriving UK businesses and, within that, exploring how Defra can realise the commercial potential of this support.

The Advisory Group will bring together experts from a range of relevant backgrounds in finance, green finance, venture capital, intellectual property, innovation and government.

We are seeking to appoint the Chair of the Advisory Group  

This is a unique opportunity to lead a group of experts to explore how Defra can realise the commercial potential of its R&D and innovation funding, driving innovation while delivering better value for money for taxpayers.

You will guide the Advisory Group to consider a range of opportunities, the financing mechanisms available to government to unlock the potential and achieve its objectives, analyse the risks and opportunities these present and assess their suitability for Defra’s context. The Advisory Group will present their findings to Defra’s Secretary of State. The findings will inform the department’s future activity in this sphere.

The role of the Advisory Group Chair is to:

• Provide strategic leadership, create consensus, and represent the Advisory Group to Defra ministers and meet regularly with ministers to maintain strategic influence.
• Where necessary, and with departmental approval, represent the Advisory group by externally engaging with stakeholders.
• Liaison with legal expertise to help inform the recommendations of the Advisory Group.
• Chair Advisory Group meetings, promoting high-quality discussion between group members who may hold different views and perspectives while ensuring all voices are heard.
• Lead and promote a culture which champions equity, diversity and inclusion to create an environment where different perspectives and backgrounds are encouraged and valued.
• Ensure the Advisory Group’s activities are conducted efficiently and effectively within a strong governance and accountability framework.
• Provide strategic direction to the Advisory Group secretariat to ensure effective delivery of Advisory Group activity.
• Ensure that any known perceived or actual conflicts of interests, or reputational risks to the department due to the conduct of Advisory Group’s members, is clearly and promptly communicated to the department as soon as it becomes known.

Often companies require further funding to turn ideas from research into marketable products in the form of innovation grants and investments.

At present, the majority of Defra’s research budget is used for R&D contracts to provide evidence to inform policy making and drive innovation to generate economic growth and productivity through funding recipients with one-off grants to derisk the development of new technologies.

However, innovators in Defra sectors face challenges accessing finance for the final stages of scaling-up innovations. This can lead to missed commercial opportunities with innovative products and services of strategic interest not reaching the market, moving overseas or losing out to international competitors.

This Advisory Group will explore how Defra can use a range of financing mechanisms to support innovators to overcome these barriers on their journey to becoming successful and to share in their commercial success where this has resulted from Defra funding. This extends to considering the means and appropriateness of seeking commercial returns to government from IPR generated from successful Defra funded R&D activities.

The Advisory Group’s expertise will result in recommendations to Defra’s Secretary of State that aim to drive social and economic growth across the UK, particularly in the rural economy, and support businesses that address Defra policy goals while delivering good value for money for the taxpayer.

The purpose, objectives and ways of working for the Advisory Group are described in the terms of engagement and the terms of reference.

Candidates must be able to demonstrate all of the following:

• Enthusiasm for and a genuine interest in exploring how Defra can drive commercially successful innovation in its sectors.
• A proven ability to provide constructive and independent leadership, challenge, and support.
• A proven track record of senior leadership of and service on boards of either private sector or public sector organisations.
• A demonstrable commitment to promote and increase diversity and inclusion.
• Ability to advocate, influence, engage, and inspire confidence of ministers and government leaders at the most senior levels.

The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate expertise in one or more of the following areas:

• Finance, green finance and venture capital. This may include how the following financing mechanisms ??can be applied in a government context: public-private partnerships, revenue sharing, convertible loans, licensing of intellectual property, taking equity, creating a joint venture, setting up a fund etc.
• Legal and/or technical expertise in intellectual property rights, particularly in a public sector context.
• Significant business acumen or experience in working with complex organisations and driving change, including a proven track record at Board or equivalent level in the private or public sector in a comparable organisation.
• Innovation and tech.
• Academia or thought leadership exploring the future of government support to R&D (Research and Development) and innovation.

Advisory Group members are appointed by DEFRA Ministers and are accountable for the wider work of the Advisory Group and for reporting to Ministers for the Advisory Group’s delivery of its final outputs. Communications between the Advisory Group and the Ministers shall, in the normal course of business, be conducted through the Advisory Group Chair.