The COVID crisis has underscored the importance of digital technology for people, society, the economy and our planet. Digital technology has been at the heart of the response to the public health emergency and it has played a vital role in keeping people connected and our economy moving through the lockdown. Now more than ever it’s important for policymakers to understand the impact, value and challenges that come with our ever-growing digital sector.

That’s why we’re so excited to have today launched a new and important programme: The Internet and Digital Economy Parliamentary Scheme. The scheme – organised in partnership with Internet Association –  hopes to help MPs understand a little more about the internet economy, the policy questions that come with it and what policymakers can do to harness the benefits of the internet and tackle the challenges that come with it.

We’re really pleased to have Dr Tanya Filer, Director of the Digital State project at the University of Cambridge’s Bennett Institute of Public Policy and Founder and Director of StateUp, curating the programme as its Academic Director.

The scheme will provide MPs access to:

  • Roundtable discussions on key topics relating to the future of tech-led by academics, entrepreneurs, and other VIP guests.
  • One to one individualised insight sessions and supporting conversations with leading entrepreneurs, investors, tech leaders and academia to better understand the tech sector and the way in which it operates.
  • Ecosystem deep dives of successful tech clusters across the UK to understand what makes them tick, how different players interact within them, how they interact with Government and what can be learned from their success.

If you’d like to learn more about the scheme or how it works – please email our Executive Director Dom Hallas (dom@coadec.com) for more information.