7. What discussions has the Minister had with colleagues on ways to promote Wales’s global image as a place for investment? OAQ53694

I've met with stakeholders and with fellow Ministers to discuss how Wales's strengths can be promoted more widely and, through our award-winning Wales brand, we're focusing on telling the Wales story for businesses that start, grow and invest here, and these stories are the foundation of our marketing programme. 

I thank the Minister. I was pleased to attend and speak last week at an event organised by the Royal Society and the Learned Society of Wales on the matter of the challenges and opportunities for research and development and innovation in Wales. One of the many aspects we considered were the Reid recommendations, including the need to increase the visibility and influence of Welsh research by creating a new Welsh research and innovation London office to act on behalf of the Welsh Government and Welsh Ministers in the interests of the Welsh research and innovation community, but also to identify and promote funding opportunities arising at a UK and international level, to attract talent and investment into the Welsh research and innovation community from the rest of the UK and internationally, and, of course, to increase the visibility of Welsh research and innovation outside of Wales.

So, Minister, in a post-Brexit situation where we'll face the disappearance of EU funding streams and the advent of a more competitive bid process funding landscape for R&D and innovation in the UK, it'll be crucial for us to punch above our weight in quality and in quantum. So, in her role, what can the Minister do, alongside the Minister for Education, to attract research and development and innovation funding and expertise to Wales?

Well, I think the Member's right to emphasise the point that, actually, we've gained quite significantly from Horizon in the past, and I haven't given up yet. I think there's a real opportunity for us to continue to try and engage with that programme. The nonsense of the situation is that, in the past, for the £5 billion we've put in the programme, we've got £8 billion out, as the UK. And in Wales we've had £100 million just recently from the programme—over 2,800 different collaborations across the continent. So we shouldn't give up on that. There's a real opportunity for us to continue to push on that. 

I've met a couple of times since my appointment with the Chief Scientific Adviser for Wales, and you're absolutely right, he emphasises that the quality of the work in Wales is superior, very often, to much of what is done elsewhere, and we need to talk about it and sing about it. I am delighted to announce that we have had a recent appointment of a London based head of innovation and research engagement officer, who will now be based in that London office. And, of course, we have other programmes, like the Sêr Cymru programme. But part of the international strategy will be about raising the visibility of what we're doing in those areas internationally. 

Thank you very much, Minister.