Innovate UK defends its grant assessment COI rules

Funding agency rejects concerns raised by Commons' science committee chair about possible conflicts of interest

Innovate UK has denied suggestions that crossover between those it appoints to monitor grants and those it funds raises conflict of interest concerns, after a senior MP raised the issue in a public letter.

Writing to the body on 28 October, Norman Lamb, the chair of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, warned: “It has been brought to my attention that Innovate UK assessors and monitors are also able to hold grant funding from Innovate UK, although not for grants that they are responsible for assessing or monitoring.”