SCI's Daily Digest: your one-stop shop for all of the day's news in science based industry

In today's Daily Digest, PM announces easing of transition to electric vehicles, the International Energy Agency will release its Global Hydrogen Review tomorrow, and more.

Innovation

According to a report from the World Intellectual Property Office the world’s five biggest science and technology clusters are in East Asia, with Tokyo-Yokohama leading the ranking and China emerging as the country with the greatest number of clusters. The findings are released in the 2023 edition of the WIPO’s Global Innovation Index which puts a cluster in the US and a cluster in France in the top 15. The report will be officially launched on 23rd September.

The UK and Israel have agreed a Memorandum of Understanding for faster and deeper collaboration in science, innovation, and technology. Both countries will commit and total of £1.7 million in support of the deal. The collaboration is structured on three pillars: research, commercialisation, and bilateral government priorities.

Environment

The UK Prime Minister gave a speech setting out the government’s approach to net-zero. ‘I am announcing that we are going to ease the transition to electric vehicles. You will still be able to buy petrol and diesel cars and vans until 2035,’ the Prime Minister said. The original deadline was 2030. The government has described this decision, along with several others, as a New Approach to Net-Zero.

The Chairman of the UK Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee has commented on the Prime Minister’s new time frame for the transition to electric vehicles saying: ‘Delaying the ban on sale of new petrol and diesel cars is disappointing…The industry has called for ambition and certainty. It is now absolutely imperative that this date does not slip further. The government must now accelerate its efforts to get charging infrastructure up to speed.’

The EU President has used the United Nations Climate Ambition Summit, held 20th September 2023 in New York, to call for an acceleration in the clean energy transition. ‘We are building a global coalition so that by COP28, the whole world can agree on tripling renewable energy and doubling annual energy saving by 2030. We need these global goals because only what gets measured gets done.’

Energy

The International Renewable Agency’s (IRENA) Innovation Week will take place 25-28 September 2023. Businesses, innovators, and policy makers will meet in Bonn, Germany to ‘drive ground-breaking innovative renewable solutions.’

The International Energy Agency will release its Global Hydrogen Review on the 22nd September, 2023. The review tracks hydrogen production and demand worldwide as well as progress in areas such as infrastructure, policy, and innovation.

Business

Novartis shareholders have approved the proposed 100% spinoff of Sandoz, the Genetics and Biosimilars business of Novartis. The spinoff is scheduled to take place on or around the 4th October 2023.

Health

The WHO has welcomed the commitment shown by world leaders attending the UN General Assembly to strengthen international coordination, governance and investment to prevent a repeat of the impact of covid-19 pandemic. Measure that are required include a strengthening of surveillance and supply systems.

Other News

The UK government has unveiled its new Board of Trade with CEOs from several sectors including Food and Drink. The new structure will focus on specifically on exports in line with the government’s ambition to reach £1 trillion worth of exports by 2030.

The European Parliament and Council have reached a provisional agreement on new rules to ban generic environmental claims. Only sustainability labels based on approved certification schemes or established by public authorities will be allowed.