City MP and tech minister says city’s heritage can drive UK’s recovery

DERBY North MP and UK Minister for Science, Research and Innovation Amanda Solloway has praised the city’s industrial heritage and says it is to play a leading role in the UK’s pandemic recovery

Ms Solloway, the UK’s first dedicated female Science Minister, used British Science Week to pay tribute to her city’s long history of innovation and the companies which are continuing to work at the cutting edge of research and technology. She singled out the work SureScreen Diagnostics, whose lateral-flow tests have, with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, showcased the important work UK scientists have undertaken in combating Covid-19.

She said Derby’s other major science and technology firms, including Rolls-Royce, Alstom and Toyota, will play their part in the economic recovery, helped by a range of Budget measures.

These include the awarding of freeport status for the East Midlands, which has the potential to bring 60,000 skilled jobs and enable firms to reduce some costs they accrue from tariffs.

British Science Week is a 10-day celebration of the country’s science, research and innovation sectors and

Ms Solloway, pictured, will mark the event by attending a virtual roundtable discussion with staff and students at the University of Derby, where she will learn about the work being undertaken by the Departments of the Built and Natural Environment, Computing and Engineering and the Human Sciences. She said: “I’m very proud, as Minister for Science, to be able to say that I live in Derby, which has a long and proud tradition in science, technology and engineering and which has played a major role in many of the UK’s greatest industrial and scientific achievements.

“It’s entirely fitting that we recognize that and explore the incredible work taking place in the city and which will help the country to recover.”