UK: David Willetts appointed Chair of the Regulatory Innovation Office

David Willetts, former Minister of State for Universities and Science (2010-2014) under Prime Minister David Cameron, is appointed Chair of the Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO), announces the British government on 10/03/2025.

He will be the first to hold the position, as the RIO was launched in October 2024 to "cut red tape that unnecessarily impedes new technologies coming to market and stunts growth, instead pivoting to a streamlined and pro-innovation environment that allows people across the UK to reap the real, positive impact of new tech safely and sooner."

The UK government indicates that David Willetts' goal will be "to lead a team focused on bringing emerging technologies like drones delivering medicines or AI training software for surgeons to market quickly and safely to improve lives".

To kick off his new role, the former minister visited a hospital in London to witness how drones are transforming healthcare logistics, for example cutting blood delivery times from 30 minutes to just 2 minutes, therefore improving NHS productivity.

According to the government, "the RIO…