The £119 million Made Smarter Innovation (MSI) Programme is a flagship component of the UK’s Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan and a core pillar of the Industrial Strategy. Its purpose is to drive sustainable growth in UK manufacturing by accelerating the development, adoption, and export of Industrial Digital Technologies (IDTs), with a strong focus on meeting the needs of SME manufacturers – the segment that comprises 99% of the sector but remains significantly under digitalised. The programme directly supports the national Technology Adoption Review and will work with the UK’s AI Champion to ensure responsible, high impact use of AI in manufacturing.

MSI addresses market failures that hinder SME digitalisation, including high technical risk, information asymmetries, coordination gaps, and limited digital skills. Its structured intervention blends collaborative R&D, innovation testbeds, accelerators, international partnerships, skills programmes, and a nationwide engagement network. This integrated model connects early stage technology developers with real manufacturing challenges, strengthens commercialisation pathways, and supports direct links into the Made Smarter Adoption programme.

The programme will comprise six strands: Collaborative R&D, the Innovation and Scale Up Hub, Global, Accelerators, the MSI Network, and Skills. Collectively, these activities aim to deliver over 300 new digital technologies, improve SME resource and energy efficiency, boost productivity across hundreds of firms, generate private investment, and support the creation of high value jobs. MSI also advances Net Zero goals through carbon abatement and strengthens supply chain resilience.

With strong industry backing, MSI is designed to enhance competitiveness, stimulate regional growth, and position the UK as a global leader in digitally enabled, sustainable manufacturing.