Digital technologies have the potential to deliver significant economic, societal, and environmental benefits. However, the challenge is that the UK manufacturing sector is not adopting these technologies as quickly as our competitors. Given that around 99% of UK manufacturing companies are classified as small or medium-sized businesses (SMEs), it is crucial to ensure that these organisations are considered and that research outputs are translated into relevant insights and tools for them.

Digital technologies have the potential to support the workforce with demanding job roles by enabling and enhancing human capabilities. Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) manufacturing companies are heavily regulated to ensure patient safety, however the processes for manufacture and quality control are still quite manual and can place a physical and mental toll on the operator. By using digital technologies to identify where tasks become more challenging, companies can improve workflow design, reducing difficulty for operators, and ultimately minimise risk to the healthcare product.

It is forecast there will be 27,000 vacancies in the Water Sector over 2020-2029 period, with 48% of the workforce retiring in the next 20 years.  Despite this, research shows that 85–90% of neurodivergent individuals are unemployed or underemployed.  Change is required, not only for the benefit of these individuals but to address the resource challenges that the sector faces. A shift towards digital innovation and transformative solutions can enable change. 

Digital technologies have the potential to deliver enormous economic, environmental, and societal benefits. However, heavily regulated sectors like the energy industry, known for their conservatism and low risk tolerance, face significant obstacles in adopting these technologies. This is significant because broader use of digital technologies is important for delivering on the industry's mission and crucial for the energy sector's transition to net zero.