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The Horizon Institute announces its proposal for an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Innovation, Sustainability and Technology
There's a peculiar gap at the heart of British policymaking. Walk the corridors of Westminster and you'll find MPs passionately debating AI regulation in one committee room, circular economy targets in another, and startup investment incentives down the hall. What you won't find is anyone connecting these conversations—recognising that innovation, sustainability, and technology aren't separate policy silos but interconnected forces that will define Britain's prosperity for generations to come.
The Horizon Institute believes it's time to change that. We're proposing the establishment of APPGIST: the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Innovation, Sustainability and Technology.
The APPG landscape has undergone seismic change since July 2023. Following concerns about foreign influence and commercial capture—including the Christine Lee case where MI5 identified an individual establishing APPGs on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party—Parliament introduced sweeping reforms. Foreign government secretariats are now banned outright. Groups receiving more than £1,500 in external funding face enhanced scrutiny, independent AGM chairs, and mandatory due diligence reporting.
The result? Nearly 40% of all APPGs—288 of 722 groups—were deregistered following compliance audits in April 2024. The APPG ecosystem has been reset.
This isn't a crisis. It's an opportunity.
The post-2024 election Parliament offers a fresh start. Groups that dissolved must re-register. New groups can establish themselves without competing against legacy incumbents. The raised bar for compliance favours serious, well-governed organisations over letterhead operations. For those committed to doing APPGs properly—as genuine forums for evidence-based policymaking rather than industry lobbying vehicles—conditions have never been more favourable.
We've mapped the existing APPG landscape exhaustively. Here's what we found:
Technology groups are flourishing but siloed. The APPG on Artificial Intelligence, run by the Big Innovation Centre since 2017, stands as the gold standard—with funding from Brunel University, Queen Mary, BT Group, Deloitte, and Innovate UK. The APPG on Blockchain Technologies relaunched in March 2025. Lord Clement-Jones CBE serves as an officer across five technology-focused groups.
Sustainability groups are policy-heavy but tech-light. The APPG on the Environment boasts 137 members and recently produced a significant report calling for £25 billion in circular economy benefits. The APPG on Climate Change runs leadership programmes with regular ministerial engagement. Peers for the Planet counts 160+ Lords among its members.
Nobody bridges the gap. Until December 2024, no APPG explicitly focused on technology-enabled sustainability solutions. The newly launched APPG on ClimateTech begins addressing this—but with only 20 members and a narrow focus on climate tech startups, it covers just one corner of the territory.
The intersection point—where innovation meets sustainability through technology—remains unoccupied in Parliament. That's where APPGIST sits.
Innovation without sustainability is reckless. The technologies we develop today will shape the planet our grandchildren inherit. AI systems already consume enormous energy; data centres are becoming significant carbon emitters; electronic waste grows faster than any other waste stream. Innovating without considering environmental and social sustainability isn't forward-thinking—it's short-sighted.
Sustainability without technology is insufficient. Britain has committed to net zero by 2050. We face biodiversity collapse, resource depletion, and climate adaptation challenges. Willpower alone won't solve these problems. We need nature technology for ecosystem monitoring, circular economy innovations for resource efficiency, smart infrastructure for resilient cities, clean energy breakthroughs for decarbonisation. Technology isn't optional in the sustainability transition—it's essential.
Technology without innovation ecosystems is wasted. Britain produces world-class research—four of the world's top ten universities, 78 Nobel Prize winners in scientific disciplines, the leading tech ecosystem in Europe. Yet we consistently fail to translate research excellence into commercial success. The "valley of death" between discovery and deployment remains our Achilles heel. Addressing this requires understanding innovation as an ecosystem challenge, not just a funding problem.
APPGIST recognises that these three dimensions are inseparable. Policymakers who understand this interconnection will make better decisions than those trapped in traditional silos.
We've studied APPGs that achieve genuine policy influence. The APPG on Carbon Monoxide Safety secured legal requirements for CO alarms in rented properties—actual legislation, not just recommendations. The APPG on Social Media produced the "#NewFilters" report that influenced the Online Safety Act. The APPG on Future Generations grew from 23 to 100 parliamentarians in two years and secured establishment of a Lords Select Committee.
What do effective APPGs share?
Active parliamentary leadership. Not MPs who lend their names but those who genuinely champion the cause. The Chair must personally invest time, attend events, build relationships with ministers, drive the agenda. Delegating everything to the secretariat is a recipe for irrelevance—or worse, capture.
Evidence-based inquiry. Formal calls for written evidence, structured oral testimony sessions, published reports with specific actionable recommendations. The APPG on Restorative Justice gathered over 200,000 words of evidence from 50+ stakeholders. That's rigour.
Cross-party credibility. Officers from both government and opposition parties, engagement across political lines, positions that can influence policy regardless of who holds power. Partisan vehicles don't change policy—they make noise.
Professional but controlled secretariats. Expert support that doesn't capture the agenda. The 2023 rules are explicit: "direction, finances, policy, strategy, research and aims" must remain the sole responsibility of parliamentary members. The secretariat serves; it doesn't lead.
We've also studied failures. The APPG on Betting and Gaming saw its Vice-Chair resign in disgust when an industry-aligned report criticised regulators using language that mirrored lobby group talking points. The APPG on British Bioethanol produced a report part-written by staff from its corporate funder. Chris Bryant MP, then Chair of the Committee on Standards, warned APPGs could become "the next great parliamentary scandal" and advised MPs to "run a mile" from groups that feel like "front of house for a direct commercial interest."
APPGIST will be different. We're building something designed from the ground up to avoid these traps.
At the Horizon Institute, we operate on the Quintuple Helix Model of Innovation—bringing together policy, industry, academia, civil society and the natural. Most APPGs rely heavily on industry funding with minimal academic structures and virtually no civil society engagement. We're proposing something more ambitious.
Government engagement beyond hosting ministers. We'll establish formal liaison with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and DEFRA. We'll feed evidence into departmental consultations and build relationships with Innovate UK and UKRI. We want to be the first call when policymakers need insight at the innovation-sustainability-technology intersection.
Academic integration, not occasional appearances. Following the model of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee—the longest-serving APPG, founded in 1939—we're exploring formal university membership, co-commissioned research, and explicit early career researcher involvement. Partners could include the Cambridge Centre for Smart Infrastructure, Imperial's Grantham Institute, Oxford's Environmental Change Institute, and leading sustainability-focused business schools. This isn't about lending academic credibility—it's about ensuring our work is grounded in rigorous evidence.
Diverse industry involvement without capture. We'll maintain secretariat support through credible organisations but ensure transparent funding from diverse sources, with no single funder exceeding 20% of budget. The AI APPG's model of multiple industry funders provides balance; single-company dependency creates problems. All policy positions and publications will require parliamentarian approval.
Civil society engagement that existing APPGs neglect. This is where the current ecosystem fails most clearly. We'll build mechanisms for public input, engage community organisations affected by technology and sustainability decisions, and ensure that innovation serves society—not just shareholders.
Britain has no shortage of think tanks. What we lack are organisations that translate insight into action.
APPGIST will operate as a "do tank"—focused on practical outputs and implementation:
Action-oriented outputs. Rather than general reports gathering dust on shelves, we'll produce specific legislative proposals, amendment drafts, and regulatory recommendations. We'll track which recommendations government adopts and publish the results.
Pilot partnerships. We'll work with government on demonstration projects—smart city pilots, nature technology trials, circular economy innovations—and bring learnings directly to Parliament.
Cross-APPG collaboration. Rather than competing with existing groups, we'll establish formal coordination. Joint sessions with ClimateTech on green innovation, with AI on sustainable AI applications, with Future of Work on green jobs. We want to be a connector, not a competitor.
Measurable success. We'll define specific outcomes: legislation influenced, ministerial meetings secured, recommendations adopted, media coverage achieved. We'll publish annual impact reports demonstrating value. If we're not making a difference, we'll say so.
Building APPGIST requires the right parliamentary leadership. We're engaging with candidates who bring genuine expertise, cross-party credibility, and commitment to the intersection of innovation, sustainability, and technology.
For Chair, we're approaching parliamentarians with deep technology or sustainability backgrounds who can provide substantive leadership—not just lend their names. The ideal Chair understands that this role requires personal investment, relationship-building with ministers, and driving a proactive agenda.
For Vice-Chairs, we're ensuring representation across parties and chambers. The 2023 rules require officers from both governing and main opposition parties. We're also engaging Crossbench Peers who can provide non-partisan credibility and bridge political divides.
In the Lords, we're approaching Peers with relevant expertise in science, technology, sustainability, and innovation policy. The upper chamber offers stability across election cycles and deep specialist knowledge.
Our shortlist includes engineers, entrepreneurs, environmental specialists, and innovation policy experts. We're looking for parliamentarians who see APPGIST as a platform for genuine impact—not another line on their biography.
The window is open. Several factors align:
Parliament's APPG reset. The post-2023 reforms and post-2024 election create a blank slate. Groups must prove their value under stricter rules. Well-governed new entrants can establish themselves.
The ClimateTech APPG is nascent. Launched only in December 2024 with 20 members, it focuses narrowly on climate tech startups. There's space for a broader group covering the full innovation-sustainability-technology intersection without duplicating their work.
Policy momentum is building. The government's AI Action Plan, the Industrial Strategy refresh, the net zero pathways—all demand integrated thinking across innovation, sustainability, and technology. Policymakers need a trusted source of cross-cutting insight.
Britain's competitive position is at stake. France has overtaken the UK as Europe's top destination for foreign investment. Companies like Arm and CRH are choosing US listings over London. We're falling behind traditional peers while being caught up by previously much poorer societies. The case for a renewed focus on innovation-led, sustainable growth has never been stronger.
The Horizon Institute is ready. We've built the networks, developed the expertise, and assembled the coalition. Our team includes serial entrepreneurs, investors, sustainability technologists, and policy specialists. We've hosted speakers from Sam Altman to David Rubenstein to Nobel Laureates. We've advised governments from the UK to Azerbaijan to Saudi Arabia on innovation strategy. We know how to convene, connect, and catalyse.
APPGIST isn't just another acronym. It's a bet on a different kind of parliamentary engagement—one that bridges silos, grounds policy in evidence, connects innovation to sustainability, and delivers practical outcomes.
We're looking for parliamentarians ready to lead. Industry partners committed to transparent engagement. Academic institutions willing to contribute rigorous research. Civil society organisations representing the communities that innovation and sustainability policies affect.
Britain's future prosperity depends on getting the innovation-sustainability-technology nexus right. Parliament needs a forum equal to that challenge.
It's time for APPGIST.
For more information about the APPG on Innovation, Sustainability and Technology, or to express interest in participating, contact the Horizon Institute at contact@horizoninstitute.org.
The Horizon Institute is the first organisation of its kind focusing on the UK that brings together leaders from multiple domains to work together towards a common vision. We are not just another think tank or community or investor but a central hub connecting people, universities, think tanks, business, governments and organisations.
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