HLAS

UK Research and Innovation has opened for applications round 8 of their Future Leaders Fellowships programme. The programme aims to develop, retain, attract, and sustain research and innovation talent in the UK, and facilitate movement between disciplines and sectors. To be considered for a fellowship, you must be an early career researcher or innovator who is either: looking to establish or transition to independence, or developing their own original and ambitious plans within a commercial setting. You must be based at, and have the support of, an eligible academic or non-academic institution. This includes commercial organisations of any size and [...]

The United Kingdom Government, in collaboration with the Scottish and Welsh Governments, has published its draft Border Target Operating Model (TOM), setting out a new model for importing goods from all countries into Great Britain, including the EU, in line with their 2025 Border Strategy. The draft TOM proposes a new approach to security controls (applying to all imports), and sanitary and phytosanitary controls (applying to imports of live animals, animal products, plants and plants products) at the border. It sets out how controls will be simplified, digitised and, over time, delivered through the UK’s new Single Trade Window. The Cabinet Office will [...]

Following the success of Phases 1 and 2 and strong feedback from stakeholders, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced plans to launch Phase 3 of the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF). IETF Phase 3 will be worth £185 million in grant funding to UK businesses for energy efficiency and deep decarbonisation studies and deployment projects. The department will hold a full consultation with UK industry later this year to finalise the design of Phase 3 of the fund before launching the first IETF Phase 3 competition window early next year. DESNZ is currently in the [...]

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is repeating its data protection and marketing webinar for small businesses, due to the popular demand it received last time it ran. This free event will take place on Microsoft Teams on Tuesday 23 May from 10am to 11am. The ICO's experts will share tips and advice to help small businesses handle people's information confidently and unlock the value of the personal information they hold. The webinar will also offer an opportunity for people to get involved and bring along questions. The ICO will cover a range of topics, including: electronic marketing, privacy notices, and [...]

Greenwashing is the practice by which companies claim they are doing more for the environment than they actually are. Greenwashing has increased as: companies’ climate commitments are on the rise; consumers increasingly seek to buy more sustainable products; companies are incentivised to make products more attractive to consumers; and employees are attracted to work for companies with strong sustainability credentials. Making false environmental claims hampers decarbonisation progress and impact. If greenwashing is not addressed, it will undermine the efforts of genuine leaders, creating confusion, cynicism, and a failure to deliver urgent climate action. It is a collective problem which requires [...]

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has launched a new service for UK organisations looking to use personal data in new and innovative ways As part of their commitment to helping organisations innovate and grow, the ICO is trialling a new Innovation Advice Service, designed to answer specific data protection questions. The service is aimed at organisations planning to use the personal data of people living in the UK, to drive a new or innovative product, service, or business model that is not currently live. The service is open to organisations of any size and in any sector. You can ask [...]

From April 2023, new eligibility rules for business rates will apply to self-catering properties in England and Wales. If you don’t meet these rules, your property will become eligible for paying Council Tax. The rules will be used in assessments from 1 April 2023. Information about lettings during the 2022/23 operating year will be used to determine whether a property is eligible. The new eligibility rules are different depending on whether your property is in England or Wales. If your property is in England: To continue to be eligible for business rates, from 1 April 2023 your property must be: [...]

Three cutting-edge projects will receive a share of £9.13 million in government funding to carry out research and development on proposals to boost agricultural productivity, sustainability, and climate resilience. The funding will support projects developing robotic crop harvesting for horticulture, an autonomous system to change cows’ bedding to improve their health, welfare and productivity, and a more environmentally friendly approach to potato cultivation. The three projects are being supported through the Large R&D Partnership competition, which is part of the government’s £270 million Farming Innovation Programme, and a second round of the competition is currently open for applications. This is all [...]

Pre-paid probate plans are unregulated in the UK. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) strongly advise that you consider carefully whether these products meet your needs and offer value before buying as there are no regulatory protections in place for you. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, probate is the legal right to deal with someone’s property, money and possessions (their ‘estate’) when they die. It is usually required when the person who died owned property or significant assets in their own name. The equivalent in Scotland is called Confirmation. The FCA have seen increased marketing of pre-paid probate plans in [...]

The non-domestic rating list and official statistics have been published for the 2023 revaluation. The rating list sets out all rateable values for non-domestic properties in England and Wales. It is used by local authorities to help determine business rates. Note that your rateable value isn’t the same as your business rates bill. The official statistics for Revaluation 2023 have been updated. They show the changes in rateable values of all non-domestic properties since the last revaluation in 2017. The publication of the 2023 non-domestic rating list means that the 2017 list has now closed. There are only limited circumstances in which [...]