This is Icebreaker One’s response to the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology’s Technology Adoption Review call for evidence.

Please note that throughout this consultation, Icebreaker One uses the terms Open, Shared and Closed data as defined here.

If you have any questions or require clarifications please contact us at policy@ib1.org.

Call for input response (relevant questions):

2. What are the biggest barriers to technology adoption in your sector and/or across sectors? Does business size and geographic location affect how firms are impacted by these barriers?

Icebreaker One (IB1) is a neutral non-profit that works on data sharing and sustainability. We convene organisations (in the energy, water, transport, agriculture, and financial sectors) and governments to design and deliver solutions at market scale.

The financial, energy and transport sectors are critical first priorities as the UK transitions to a decentralised, green energy future that can be reliably supported by the financial sector. Unlocking access to data through Smart Data schemes will serve to enable, and derisk, these priorities.

Data sharing and data access is at the heart of the UK’s identified outcomes in the Industrial Strategy green paper. Through IB1’s cross-sector work we note a key barrier to technology adoption is lack of a consistency in vision and policy which is vital for the decision makers in the organisations and companies to de-risk technical and innovation investments. As stated in IB1’s response to Ofgem’s call for input on the future of distributed flexibility, we acknowledge the benefits of having a clear, concisely stated end state vision. Having a cohesive, consistent vision with clear actions allows for stakeholders to incorporate data sharing and data access at the core of their decisions. The vision provides an opportunity to create the atmosphere for cultural change to occur, placing data sharing and access at the heart of decision making, and becoming business as usual. 

We recommend a consistent and cohesive policy vision should also be able to be changed and iterated upon to allow for the inevitable changes and innovations which will arise with time to ensure it continues to fit the needs of the country, companies, and users. We strongly recommend this process should occur in the open including all processes are appropriately documented, published openly, and available for scrutiny. 

Generally, our research understands that easing the administrative and cost burden for SMEs is key. This includes technical adoption. Ease of use and consistent policy allows SMEs to easily and confidently engage with technology while reducing risk and promoting investment in sustainable business practices. 

Example: IB1’s Perseus Scheme (the ‘rule book’ defining how data is governed) is aiming to facilitate trusted, standardised, permissioned and secure data sharing across sectors. It addresses key challenges in data interoperability and trust by linking data systems through a cohesive Trust Framework, streamlining the process of collecting and reporting emissions data. By enabling interoperability between members, it enables SMEs to minimise their manual effort in measuring and reporting their GHG footprint, and matching their profile to green finance. 

3. What is the evidence for technology adoption across different sizes of businesses?

Through IB1’s experience and learnings from engaging closely with actors in the value chain as part of Perseus, the evidence for technology adoption in emissions reporting and management demonstrates two distinct but interconnected points.

First, at the SME level, businesses are adopting various technology solutions to record and report their emissions. These include dedicated emissions calculators, carbon accounting tools, and extensions for financial accounting software that generate emissions estimates based on spending data. 

The current technological landscape for SMEs is fragmented, with businesses using multiple different methods for recording and sharing emissions data. Most solutions rely heavily on manual data entry, with technical integration generally limited to connections with financial accounting products for spend-based emissions estimates. 

Larger stakeholders with significant Scope 3 emissions – such as corporates with extensive supply chains or banks with substantial loan books – are adopting technology platforms to receive and compile emissions information from their SME stakeholders. However, the effectiveness of these platforms is constrained by inconsistent methodologies and tools used by SMEs to generate their emissions data, and challenges in verifying the accuracy and quality of submitted data.

6. How effectively does the UK support the adoption of new technology? What could be improved in your sector and/or across sectors?

Data sharing and data access is at the heart of meeting the UK’s decarbonisation goals. In our response to Industrial Strategy consultation IB1 encouraged the Industrial Strategy to endorse and build upon the Data (Use and Access) bill and ensure that the work on Smart Data is fully connected and integrated into planning processes. 

IB1 encourages any effort the UK makes toward implementing national data as infrastructure so that it provides consistent control, sharing, and security for data, much like other public infrastructures such as roads and utilities. To make the most of its value, and reduce risks, we need to connect data with those who need it and put in place the right protections for everyone. 

As mentioned in IB1’s response to Ofgem’s The future of distributed flexibility consultation and DBT’s Industry 2035 consultation consistency in vision and decision making  identified as a barrier to investment and expanding cross-sector and sector wide data and digital strategies. 

Additionally, collaboration and cross-sector initiatives are essential to have consistency within sectors and across the pinchpoints where sectors meet and/or markets are increasingly ‘coupled’ (i.e. energy and transport; energy and water; energy and manufacturing). Having a cohesive, consistent vision with clear actions allows for stakeholders to incorporate data sharing and data access at the core of their decision making, and creates the atmosphere for a data sharing cultural change to become business as usual. 

7. What current policies and/or initiatives support technology adoption in your sector and/or across sectors?

As mentioned in in question 6, IB1’s response to DBT’s Industrial Strategy 2035 consultation, the Industrial Strategy should endorse and build upon the Data (Use and Access) bill and ensure that the work on Smart Data is fully connected and integrated into planning processes. 

The UK must implement national data as infrastructure so that it provides consistent control, sharing, and security for data, much like other public infrastructures such as roads and utilities. To make the most of its value, and reduce risks, we need to connect data with those who need it and put in place the right protections for everyone. This supports net-zero investment decisions by connecting assurable real economy & financial economy data between organisations and between sectors.

8. The availability of skilled employees is a significant enabler of technology adoption. What are the main skills needs across the economy/in your sector required to drive technology adoption and where are the most significant gaps?

Enabling technology adoption requires more than technical skills. Catalyst technical innovation needs to understand a use case, legal, licensing, policy implications of technical work. IB1 has developed an Icebreaking process to convene stakeholders around purpose and priority use cases – building on our experience to save time and money. To have well rounded technology development and adoption, we recommend the following skillsets for developing smart data schemes:

Understanding use case, user needs recommended skills and expertise:

  • Experience in gathering and analysing user insights to identify if/what technology would need to be developed to solve their challenge
  • Ability to identify and prioritise use cases
  • Knowledge of UX principles and user-centric design approaches
  • Expertise in engaging with stakeholders and understanding their unique technical challenges.
  • Skills in synthesising user feedback into actionable recommendations

Technical implementation recommended skills and expertise:

  • Knowledge of building or operating financial or similarly secure data processing environments
  • Experience leading or advising on the architecture and implementation of at-scale online services
  • Experience with standard systems, processes and technologies for integrating online services (for example REST APIs, OAuth, PubSub) 
  • Understanding of the implementation of services acting as data suppliers and/or data consumers
  • Technical expertise in metadata publishing and maintenance, managing data catalogues, managing data
  • Experience with technical policy and compliance
  • Ensuring training / upskilling understands and aligns with new and emerging technologies

Legal and licensing recommended skills and expertise:

  • Expertise in legal and compliance frameworks related to data governance
  • Experience drafting and negotiating data-sharing agreements and licences
  • Knowledge of regulatory standards such as GDPR and national data protection laws
  • Familiarity with managing data sensitivity classifications and access control policies
  • The ability to collaborate across technical, policy, and operational teams
  • Skills in stakeholder engagement and facilitating legal onboarding processes.

Policy recommended skills and expertise:

  • In-depth knowledge of regulatory frameworks and compliance requirements, including GDPR and financial data regulations
  • Experience with aligning organisational policies with international standards
  • Expertise in developing internal policy frameworks for data governance and ethical data practices
  • Skills in stakeholder engagement and resolving compliance-related challenges.
  • Familiarity with monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for policy adherence
  • Ability to collaborate effectively with legal, technical, and operational teams to ensure cohesive policy implementation

11. Where is government uniquely placed to drive technology adoption?

To meet the combined needs of economic growth, environmental sustainability and social equity, the UK must fund institutions that can help convene and aid multi-stakeholder collaborations. Such support is essential to deliver open and accessible markets (available to the whole UK economy) and equally to protect our economy from monopoly behaviours. 

Our previous experience has been that projects to co-design market-wide solutions without external or public neutral funding suffer from a collective action problem in which prospective partners are unwilling to contribute to the costs as the benefits of the developed outcome will accrue to them whether they contribute or not. Failure to fund risks a lack of cohesion, duplication, or a very limited trial with limited reusability.

Public signalling and funding enables IB1 as convenor and facilitator of industry co-design to support an effective methodology and increase buy-in from partners and testers, resulting in better outputs and adoption.

More generally, IB1 supports developing, supporting, and promoting a principles-based approach to implement its national data infrastructure so different sectors can move at pace on their own, develop their own customer-facing values and business propositions, get them out into the market, but all anchored on principles of data rights, of machine interoperability and of fair value exchange: reciprocity is at the heart of all of this work.

Key principles for designing data sharing as infrastructure:

  • Decentralised solution: guiding principles while allowing different sectors or other operational environments to tailor to user needs/circumstances.
  • As digitalisation of the wider economy accelerates it is essential that any governance mechanism is built to function flexibly within a shifting technical landscape. There will be a continual balance between addressing user needs and potential threats, necessitating robust governance to be participatory and responsive to a full spectrum of social and environmental considerations shaping the operational landscape, for example including capacity to respond to forthcoming Net Zero 2030 milestones, negative incentives, corporate capture, unintended monopoly positions, and data misuse.
  • Security: Data required for investment must undergo a thorough assessment of risks, benefits, security measures, and potential international standards as there may be implications for data transfer and use across the UK and international borders. 
  • Clear and consistent use of definitions and communications surrounding data. IB1 uses the data spectrum to communicate the definitions and differences between Open, Shared, and Closed data. 
  • Build upon prior art: IB1 recommends simple and low friction options which builds on previous implementation in other industries, for example Open Banking which has been endorsed by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
  • Joined up approach to be interoperable with initiatives across the economy.

12. Where is industry uniquely placed to drive technology adoption in your sector and/or across sectors? Where could industry go further to support the objectives of this review?

As noted in Question 6, consistency in vision and decision making is imperative for increasing investment and the adoption of cross-sector and sector wide data and digital strategies. Industry, where steered by a clear vision and consistent government guidelines, is well placed to drive technology adoption through its ability to drive investment in scalable solutions and integrate new technologies into existing operations. 

Where industries have access to shared data, new technologies can be implemented, tested and refined to improve adoption rates, efficiency and drive further innovation.

IB1 encourages the UK to move toward implementing national data as infrastructure to create incentives for organisations to invest in innovation and technology through various strategic pipelines. Where funding and resources can be made more accessible, industries can remove the financial burden of adopting new technologies, removing risk and fostering innovation. 

13. What opportunities are there for government and industry partnerships to drive technology adoption in your sector and/or across sectors?

IB1 believes there are several opportunities for government and industry partnerships to drive technology adoption in and across sectors. Learning from examples that are already occurring in energy and academia, we recommend:

Co-funding opportunities. These foster collaboration and solutions which help all related and participating businesses. A positive example has been the Strategic Innovation Fund programme which requires solutions to be led by an energy network, collaborative and for solutions and projects to be applicable network-wide (i.e. not to just one of the areas or networks)

Embedding researchers into government and industry partnerships. There are examples of researchers from the academic community being embedded into organisations to build collaboration and ease administrative burdens on commercial and government organisations to facilitate knowledge and data sharing. 

Benefits could include: 

  • formation of cross-industry project consortia
  • funding co-bidding, which may open new income streams for both research and sectoral organisations (e.g. innovation funds)
  • co-working on technology solutions for particular business needs
  • testing proofs of concept and/or pilot initiatives in lower risk environments.
    • We recommend providing opportunities and funding for more programmes like this, or considering whether this is appropriate as a condition of certain contracts or funding. 

14. What approach or policies should the government consider to accelerate technology adoption across the economy and/or within sectors?

As mentioned in Question 11, as the data sharing economy develops in a manner which is increasingly fluid and cross-sector there is an ongoing need for policy and regulatory development which horizon-scans, assesses, and defines responsibility for addressing different aspects of the regulatory landscape. Providing this form of policy and regulatory join-up presents essential support to the incentivising and de-risking of investment in strategic sectors. 

It is essential there is cross-sector collaboration and joined up thinking between the UK’s industrial strategy, approach and net zero goals, and growth areas. The economic growth plan set out by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, is focused on growth in the supply-side of the economy to provide opportunities to the businesses, investors and entrepreneurs who drive economic growth with  3 essential elements:

  1. Stability in politics, public finances and economy 
  2. Reform to make it easier for businesses to trade, raise finance and build
  3. Investment 

IB1 suggests that to strengthen these elements it must work with other partnerships between government, business and civil society, such as the Net Zero Council and ensure that growth, innovation, and technology adoption maximises the learnings and builds on the innovations from prior programmes. 

IB1’s response to the Wellcome and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)’s UK National Data Library: Technical White Paper Challenge put forward principles that can be used by the UK Government, as well as companies, when seeking to drive technology innovation and adoption:

  1. Clarify the use case and/or problem any proposed technical solution is intended to solve
  2. Take inspiration from existing and similar digital  infrastructures, including from other sectors/domains and other countries
  3. Ensure the solution adds something new, or improves or replaces what already exists
  4. If you must build, build the most simple, decentralised version of the solution as possible
  5. Like any complex digital infrastructure, begin with defined users and use cases rather than datasets
  6. Be aware that the nature of the funding and staffing of any given solution, as much as its technical architecture, will shape what it can achieve