UK Industrial Strategy Sector Plans

The roadmap identified eight sectors which the Government believes have the greatest growth potential over the coming decade, and are likely to play a critical role in the country’s future economy. These growth-driving sectors are:

More recently, on 23 June 2025, the Government published more detailed Sector Plans for each of the above key sectors.

The Sector Plans are long and packed with detail. Despite the length, if you are involved with a business which fits within one of the Sectors or sub-sectors it would be worth reading through the sections which most closely relate – or, if you want to begin aligning yourself with UK Industrial Strategy right away, ask your AI tool of choice to summarise the relevant parts.

We’ve taken our own look over the Sector Plans to provide a snapshot of some key takeaways.

Click on the relevant sector above to see our summary.

(Additional summaries will be added shortly, so please check back soon if our summary for the sector which interests you is not yet available).

There are a few common themes which appear across a number of the Sector Plans, suggesting these are particularly prominent in the Government’s strategy:

Although the defence-specific Sector Plan was not available at the time of writing, defence and national security is a recurring theme in many of the Plans. There is a strong focus on technologies with both civilian and defence applications, leveraging synergies for national security and economic benefit. For example, defence applications appear in Advanced Manufacturing (e.g. aerospace and space), Digital & Technologies (cyber security, AI, quantum, semiconductors), and is even touched upon in Life Sciences (by reference to “biosecurity threats”).

It’s no surprise to see such prominence given to defence and dual-use technologies given the widely reported UK commitment to increase national defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 (see for example the recent National Security Strategy, published on 24 June 2025). This is clearly a sector expecting to see significant growth in coming years.

As is to be expected with public sector growth plans, significant attention is given to funding commitments and investment strategy. Multiple references are made to changes in R&D funding, UKRI initiatives and British Business Bank (BBB) activities. Several plans make reference to an additional £4 billion of BBB investment, expected to unlock an additional £12 billion of private investment across all key sectors (based on BBB’s expected 3:1 private-to-public investment ratio, estimated by reference to similar programmes).

Aside from the obvious importance to the Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan, sustainability is integrated into many strategies across sectors. The need to decarbonise industries and ensure the development of technologies such as AI are managed in a way which maximise environmental benefits (or minimises environmental harm) are clearly acknowledged across the wider strategy.

As previously announced, the Government has committed to “reducing the administrative costs of regulation for businesses by 25% by the end of this Parliament” (see the Treasury’s Policy Paper on regulatory reform for further information).

Common goals include use of the new Regulatory Innovation Office to address “regulatory barriers holding back science and technology development”, and a general theme of reducing bureaucracy, and simplify processes (e.g. clinical trials in Life Sciences, planning for infrastructure in Advanced Manufacturing and Clean Energy, market entry for MedTech).

Several Plans recognise that infrastructure will be key to growth, with proposals for schemes to reduce electricity costs for manufacturing-intensive sectors, create a new “Connections Accelerator Service” to prioritise strategically important projects (e.g. data centers), and to address shortages in lab space, manufacturing facilities, and energy infrastructure.

All plans acknowledge and warn of severe skills shortages. Plans include publicly funded short courses through the Growth and Skills Levy, in areas such as digital, AI and engineering, as well as visa system reforms to attract world-class talent.

Many Plans acknowledge the importance of regional development feeding into a national picture. Investment Zones and Freeports are often highlighted as tools to drive regional growth and attract investment in key industrial clusters across all sectors (e.g. Advanced Manufacturing Investment Zones, Clean Energy Freeports, Digital & Technologies Investment Zones like the Cardiff/Newport semiconductor cluster).

As a whole, the Sector Plans present a cohesive and ambitious vision for the UK’s industrial future. They are prepared with clear optimism, but also a recognition of the need for Government to step-up its support of key industries.

If the Plans are followed through and survive future Parliaments, they should be a positive force for leveraging the UK’s scientific and innovative strengths to compete globally, create high-value jobs, and build a more resilient and sustainable economy.