NSTIx existed for four years with a remit to drive collaboration across the civil service and beyond, by disseminating good ideas while enabling agencies to better use their ‘limited resources’
Government has decided to close a cross-Whitehall unit established four years ago to support national security agencies in collaborating on innovative projects and the use of technology.
The creation of the National Security Technology and Innovation Exchange (NSTIx) was a central recommendation of the Integrated Review of 2021, in which government made a sweeping assessment of the UK’s security, defence and foreign policy operations. Operating independently, NSTIx was reported to employ more than 100 people, drawn from six departments with a stake in national security.
According to archived GOV.UK webpages, the organisation’s remit was to “enable the UK government national security community to collaborate on science, technology and innovation activities and to deliver these in partnership with a more diverse set of contributors for greater shared impact and pace”.
The recently closed unit provided five main services, according to online records.
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The first of these was to “curate and communicate insights” on security, technology and innovation issues, while the second was to help organisations and teams across government “to better use limited expertise, resources and facilities more coherently and effectively to increase diversity of thought and avoid accidental gaps and unknown duplication”.
The third main part of NSTIx’s remit was to “tackle barriers and drive for change”, while the final two services provided by the team were to “enhance exploitation opportunities” for national security tech teams, and to “champion co-creation… to enhance delivery with industry, academia and wider government stakeholders”.
With NSTIx having been shuttered, these five objectives will now be supported and delivered by various other units, according to security minister Dan Jarvis.
“The functions of National Security Technology and Innovation Exchange will be taken forward within other national security teams, building on the capabilities, practices and networks successfully established since it was formed in 2021,” he said, in answer to a written parliamentary question from Conservative MP Richard Holden.
It is not known how where the 100 staff members of NSTIx will be redistributed.
