Turning innovation into industrial capability
Technology is advancing at an unprecedented pace creating opportunities and challenges for businesses worldwide.
For the UK, the opportunity is not only to innovate, but to translate innovation into the capabilities, skills and industries that underpin long-term economic growth and competitiveness. Unlocking that potential requires more than technological breakthroughs alone. It demands effective regulation, strong partnerships, trusted measurement standards and sustained investment.
The NPL Industrial Innovation Summit which is being held 8 September 2026 will bring together senior decision-makers across industry, government, academia and the investment community to enable meaningful discussions and forge new partnerships aligned to accelerating innovation-led growth.
8 September
All day
Open day
National Physical Laboratory (NPL), Hampton Road, Teddington, TW11 0LW
Register your interestThe day is centred around three strategic challenges:
Accelerating critical technology
Overcoming the technical, commercial, and operational barriers to deploying high-impact, market-ready technologies
Regulation for
innovation
Evolving regulation, standards, and policy to enable trusted, sustainable adoption and long-term growth
Building and scaling high-growth ventures from R&D
Translating research into scalable, investment-ready businesses aligned to UK priorities
A keynote address will be delivered by Lord Willetts, Chair of the Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO). Confirmed speakers and panellists from HSBC, the Financial Conduct Authority, Environment Agency, Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Rolls-Royce SMR and Dyneval will share perspectives from across the innovation, regulatory and investment landscape.
Against the backdrop of significant machinery of government changes, a new Prime Minister, and the creation of a new Science and Business Department, the Summit provides a timely forum convening senior decision-makers to explore how the ambitions to more closely pair the research community with industry could strengthen the UK's innovation ecosystem and industrial competitiveness.
Together, we will examine how emerging technologies can move more quickly from research to real-world deployment, delivering sustainable growth, productivity and societal benefit.
The Industrial Innovation Summit 2026 is an exclusive gathering of senior leaders helping to shape the future of UK innovation. Places are limited and we encourage you to register your interest at the earliest opportunity.
Keynote
Lord Willetts Chair of the Regulatory Innovation Office
Lord Willetts was appointed as Chair of the Regulatory Innovation Office in March 2025 and brings a wealth of leadership experience from across the public and private sectors which will help the RIO help to deliver its priorities. As the Member of Parliament for Havant, he served as Minister for Universities and Science from 2010 to 2014. He has made extensive contributions to the UK science and technology sector, including sitting on the board of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and chairing the British Science Association, the UK Space Agency Board, and the Foundation for Science and Technology. He was elected Conservative MP for Havant in Hampshire on 9 April 1992.
Measurement underpins innovation
For over 125 years, NPL has been at the heart of UK innovation, developing the measurement science that underpins performance, trust, and global competitiveness.
As the UK’s National Metrology Institute, NPL works across sectors to help industry innovate with confidence and reduce risk as emerging technologies move towards deployment. This event connects that expertise with the decisions that turn innovation into growth.