Engineering priorities for our future economy and society

The National Engineering Policy Centre connects policymakers with critical engineering expertise to inform and respond to policy issues of national importance.

It gives policymakers a route to advice from across the whole profession, and the profession a unified voice on shared challenges. 

The Centre is an ambitious partnership, led by the Royal Academy of Engineering, between 39 different UK engineering organisations representing 450,000 engineers. Our ambition is that the National Engineering Policy Centre will be a trusted partner for policymakers, enabling them to access excellent engineering expertise, for social and economic benefit.

The UK faces a number of defining challenges to its prosperity, security and wellbeing.  Navigating these challenges will require making trade-offs and dealing with uncertainties in the face of these escalating pressures with limited resources.

Engineers have the skills, insights and ingenuity to help tackle many of these challenges in ways that optimise efficiency, economy, safety and reliability. As engineers, we are problem-solvers and innovators, with a unique perspective on the world. From increasing productivity and renewing our infrastructure, to the skills gap and the threat of climate change, these challenges rightly lie at the heart of the UK’s Industrial Strategy.

Most of these big challenges are long term in nature and require cross-government action. Engineering is central to delivering on them. Here, we set out our priorities for upcoming  policy and spending decisions in the UK. The actions we propose will enable the UK to make investment decisions that will create more jobs and prosperity, and meet the future  needs of our society in a way that is faster, more efficient and sustainable. 
The engineering profession stands ready to support delivery of these goals and bring about the best outcome for the UK.