Former Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster joins innovation forum with focus on helping UK SMEs grow

Baroness Arlene Foster has joined the Forum on Innovation for Growth (FIG) as an Officer, bringing renewed attention to the role that innovation, investment and regional collaboration can play in helping the UK's small and medium sized businesses expand.

The appointment comes as policymakers and business leaders continue to examine how the UK can improve productivity and encourage more innovative companies to scale. For many SMEs, particularly those operating outside major cities, access to finance, skilled workers and commercial partnerships remains one of the biggest barriers to long term growth.

Speaking following her appointment, Baroness Foster said the UK must adopt a more strategic approach to turning innovation into sustained economic success. She highlighted Northern Ireland's strong record of innovation and entrepreneurship, noting that the region is home to many ambitious SMEs with the potential to grow across the UK internal market. However, she also acknowledged that many smaller businesses continue to face challenges when it comes to securing investment and expanding beyond their early stages.

Her comments reflect wider concerns across the SME community, where many business owners believe innovative firms are often held back by limited access to growth capital and fragmented support. While start up activity remains resilient, scaling businesses into larger employers continues to be a challenge across many parts of the UK.

Baroness Foster also stressed the importance of closer collaboration between government, universities and industry. She argued that encouraging investment into innovative sectors, strengthening STEM skills and creating stronger links between regions would help build a more connected innovation economy capable of supporting businesses of all sizes.

For SMEs, that approach could create greater opportunities to work with research institutions, access specialist talent and participate in regional innovation clusters that are increasingly becoming drivers of economic development. Stronger collaboration between public and private sectors could also improve the commercialisation of new technologies and make it easier for smaller firms to compete nationally and internationally.

The Forum on Innovation for Growth brings together figures from business, academia and public life to explore practical ways of improving the UK's innovation landscape and supporting long term economic growth. Baroness Foster said she looks forward to contributing to discussions aimed at creating a more joined up innovation ecosystem across the whole of the United Kingdom.

Her appointment reinforces the growing recognition that SMEs will play a central role in delivering future economic growth. As governments seek higher productivity and greater regional prosperity, ensuring innovative small businesses can access investment, develop skilled workforces and reach new markets is likely to remain high on the policy agenda.