§ Mr. LetwinTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will extend the remit of the technology transfer managers established by the Defence Diversification Agency to cover large firms. [120643]
§ Dr. MoonieThe White Paper, "Defence Diversification: Getting the most out of defence technology", does not restrict the remit of the DDA technology diversification managers to supporting only small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In its first year of operation the DDA has successfully assisted companies of all sizes. However, from an operational perspective the agency has to prioritise allocation of its resources and has tended to concentrate effort on SMEs. These companies, while contributing to UK's wealth and creating jobs, have less resources of their own than larger companies to access and thus benefit from DERA's technology.