Part of:
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Science and innovation play an important role in encouraging prosperity and growth through the Science and Innovation Network (SIN).

The UK is a global leader in science and innovation. International collaboration is essential to maintaining the excellence of the UK’s research base and the competitive advantage of our innovative businesses, for filling capability gaps and for ensuring value by leveraging international resources. Maintaining our science excellence (and our reputation) and supporting innovation ensures the UK is a partner of choice, and helps UK companies with ambitions for rapid global growth.

The Science and Innovation Network (SIN) has approximately 100 officers in over 40 countries and territories around the world building partnerships and collaborations on science and innovation.

SIN officers work with the local science and innovation community in support of UK policy overseas, leading to mutual benefits to the UK and the host country.

What SIN does

SIN teams develop country-specific action plans and work to the following global objectives:

  • Prosperity – enhancing UK growth and exports; connecting innovative UK industries and scientific expertise with international opportunities
  • Security – delivering solutions to global challenges such as anti-microbial resistance (AMR), health, energy, the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, and enhancing resilience to natural disasters
  • Influence – strengthening the UK’s foreign policy influence through science and innovation
  • Development – supporting international development goals and matching UK expertise to international need

SIN is pursuing these objectives via a series of thematic programmes:

  • Health and Life Sciences
  • Clean Energy
  • Food and Agriculture
  • Future Manufacturing
  • Cyber and Information Communications Technology (ICT)
  • Quantum Technology
  • Future Cities
  • Resources and resilience
  • Polar Regions
  • Space
  • Oceans

Read more about SIN's thematic programmes and where they're active (ODT, 367 KB).

Recent successes

A collection of UK Science and Innovation Network (SIN) impact stories highlights the impact of the work SIN is doing around the globe to:

  • provide a UK commercial benefit
  • support UK research
  • influence policy
  • help tackle global challenges

Where SIN is based

SIN is organised into 4 regions:

Europe

Asia Pacific

India, Middle East and Africa

Americas

  • Argentina (Buenos Aires)
  • Brazil (Brasilia, Sao Paulo)
  • Canada (Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa)
  • Colombia (Medellin, Bogotá)
  • Chile
  • USA (Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington)

How to contact SIN

To contact a SIN officer about a specific geographic area, follow the link above to the appropriate country. Otherwise, email ScienceandInnovation.NetworkGlobalInbox@fco.gov.uk.

Corporate information