Dinner In 6 weeks
December
Tuesday
19:00–21:30 2026 · London time
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As part of our mission to make the UK the best place in the world to start and scale a business, we regularly engage with all of the main Westminster parties to bridge the gap between entrepreneurs and policymakers.
In collaboration with Mishcon de Reya, we have arranged a private roundtable dinner with Chris McDonald MP, the Minister for Science, Innovation and Investment.
The UK’s research base is among the strongest in the world, yet too much of the value it creates is captured elsewhere. Science and technology companies that start here often struggle to scale here. Many raise their later-stage rounds in the US, and their intellectual property and talent follow. Founders in frontier sectors also face regulation that has not kept pace with their technology, and a public sector that too rarely acts as an early customer.
Chris McDonald MP will join founders for a private discussion under the Chatham House Rule on how the UK can close the later-stage funding gap, modernise regulation for frontier sectors such as quantum and engineering biology, use public procurement as a lever for growth, and turn world-class research into globally competitive companies.
Chris McDonald MP was appointed Minister for Science, Innovation and Investment in July 2026. Before becoming an MP, Chris spent 20 years working in the steel industry, with a focus on research. He joined Tata Steel’s research division as a laboratory manager in 2008, and in 2014 led the divestment of the Materials Processing Institute from Tata Steel UK, becoming its chief executive. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
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Investors in the room
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Founders pitch
Investors in the room