What we do

The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) is the department for economic growth. The department invests in skills and education to promote trade, boost innovation and help people to start and grow a business. BIS also protects consumers and reduces the impact of regulation.

BIS is a ministerial department, supported by 47 agencies and public bodies.

Read more about what we do

We work on these topics

  1. Business and enterprise

    The government is working to create the right conditions for companies to thrive and make it easier for people to start successful new businesses. Read more

  2. Consumer rights and issues

    The government is working to make sure that people have the information and protection they need when they buy goods and services. Read more

  3. UK economy

    All parts of the economy are growing - but the government still has a huge amount to do through continuing to create jobs and supporting businesses to grow. The government is also making sure that the recovery is a recovery for all and this means creating a more educated workforce and taking measures to help with the cost of living. Find progress updates on this page. Read more

  4. Employment

    To boost the number of jobs and create a flexible labour market, the government is modernising employment law while protecting employee rights. To increase the number of people in employment, we need to support them into work through the benefits system and job search support. Read more

  5. Europe

    The government is working with allies to reform the European Union to make it more open, competitive, flexible and democratically accountable, for the benefit of the UK and the whole of Europe. Read more

  6. Financial services

    Financial services support the economy and provide essential credit to households, consumers and business. We are creating a framework that promotes a responsible and sustainable financial services industry, tackling the issues of competition and risk in the banking sector. Read more

  7. Further education and skills

    The government aims to make sure that further education provides the skilled workforce employers need and helps individuals reach their full potential. Read more

  8. Higher education

    The government is working with universities and colleges so they can continue to provide high quality teaching and research and produce highly skilled graduates and post graduates. Read more

  9. Regulation reform

    Excessive bureaucracy stifles businesses, voluntary organisations and individuals. We will remove unnecessary red tape to encourage economic growth and increase personal freedom and fairness. Read more

  10. Science and innovation

    The government funds and supports innovation in science, technology and engineering to help the UK's high-tech industries to thrive. Read more

  11. Trade and investment

    Overseas trade and inward investment are vital for the UK's prosperity. Through its trade and investment policies, the government aims to help UK businesses succeed internationally and encourage overseas companies to work with the UK. Read more

Our policies

  1. Keeping the UK safe in cyber space

    Improving cyber security to make cyber space safer for people and businesses and more resilient to cyber attacks and crime.

  2. Engaging the public in science and engineering

    High levels of skills in science, technology, engineering and maths are essential for the UK’s prosperity

  3. Making European funding work better for the UK economy

    Negotiating the European Union (EU) Common Strategic Framework for 2014 to 2020.

See all our policies

Documents

Our announcements

  1. Business Secretary considers evidence for tougher regulation of arms exports

    • 17 April 2014
    • Press release

  2. Ask employers and apprentices how they work together to succeed

    • 16 April 2014
    • News story

See all our announcements

Our consultations

  1. Pre-licensing register of arms brokers: call for evidence

    • 17 April 2014
    • Open consultation

  2. Extractives industries reporting: implementing the EU Accounting Directive

    • 11 April 2014
    • Open consultation

See all our consultations

Our publications

  1. An open national address gazetteer

    • 17 April 2014
    • Independent report

  2. Triennial review of the research councils

    • 16 April 2014
    • Policy paper

See all our publications

Our statistics

  1. SFA: national success rates tables 2012/13: open data CSV files

    • 16 April 2014
    • Statistics - national statistics

  2. Further education and skills: open data CSV files

    • 10 April 2014
    • Statistics - national statistics

See all our statistics

Our ministers

Our management

Contact BIS

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

1 Victoria Street
London

SW1H 0ET

Sheffield office

2 St Paul's Place
125 Norfolk Street
Sheffield
S1 2FJ

Yorkshire, Humber and North East office

Isobel Mills
Alexandra House
Lawnswood Business Park
Redvers Close
Leeds
West Yorkshire
LS16 6QY

North East office

tbc
Moongate House
5th Avenue
Team Valley
Gateshead
NE11 OHF

West Midlands office

Tony Bray
Victoria Square House
Victoria Square
Birmingham
B2 4AJ

East Midlands and South East Midlands, including Milton Keynes, Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton office

Rowena Limb
APEX Court
City Link
Nottingham
NG2 4LA

East office

tbc
The Business Centre
Station Road
Cambridge
Histon
Cambridge
CB24 9LQ

South Central and West, office covering rest of South East and South West

Ian Coates
1st Floor
Bridge House
1 Walnut Tree Close
Guildford
GU1 4GA

North West office

David Higham
Floor 7
Arndale House
Arndale Centre
Manchester

North West
M4 3AQ

Make an FOI request

  1. Read about the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and how to make a request
  2. Check our previous releases to see if we’ve already answered your question
  3. Make a new request by contacting us at:

Freedom of Information requests

Information Rights Unit
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
1 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0ET

High profile groups within BIS

Corporate information

Jobs and contracts

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