It was a privilege to attend the PL&B annual conference in Cambridge earlier this year. The event was a huge success, and it was a real pleasure to listen and participate in the informed and lively debates in the sessions I attended in my capacity as Head of Transfer Mechanisms & Tools within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

The use and access of data is at the heart of everything we do in DSIT: data underpins scientific research, promotes innovation, and is the key to boosting productivity and unleashing economic growth nationwide. Our goal is to build on existing foundations to further reinforce the UK’s reputation as a world-leading authority on international data transfers, putting in place an innovative transfers regime that champions both the free flow of data and high data protection standards in equal measure. We believe doing so is crucial to retain furthering the UK’s leadership in science and research, and in securing the UK’s economic competitiveness.