London's science policy and innovation hubs fall into three clusters: Whitehall and Westminster, where ministers, the Government Office for Science and Parliament's science committee work; the learned societies of Carlton House Terrace and Mayfair, led by the Royal Society; and the research and innovation districts of King's Cross, White City and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The map changed in July 2026, when the new government closed the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and moved most of its science work into the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. This guide explains who sits where now, how to follow their work and how researchers can take part (checked October 2026).

The policy core in Whitehall after July 2026

The biggest recent change is the end of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), created in 2023. Civil Service World reported on 21 July 2026 that new Prime Minister Andy Burnham was merging DSIT with the Department for Business and Trade, with digital government moving to an expanded culture department. DSIT's GOV.UK page now states that "this organisation is changing" and that it is being replaced by the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Cabinet Office.

The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) lists 30 agencies and public bodies. Its ministers (checked October 2026) include Jonathan Reynolds as Secretary of State, Chris McDonald as Minister for Science, Innovation and Investment and Kanishka Narayan as Minister for Artificial Intelligence. Its published contact address is the Old Admiralty Building on Admiralty Place, SW1.

Scientific advice to ministers runs through the Government Office for Science, at 100 Parliament Street, SW1. Its stated mission is "to put excellent science advice at the heart of decision making". It is led by the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Dame Angela McLean, supports the Council for Science and Technology, runs Futures and Foresight work and manages the Government Science and Engineering profession. Its 2026 output includes a Foresight report on supply chain resilience (June) and analysis of the economic opportunities of climate adaptation (July).

Parliament and scrutiny

Two parts of Parliament matter most for science.

The Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, chaired by Dame Chi Onwurah, holds inquiries and questions ministers and funders. Its 2026 work has covered science diplomacy and digital government. On the closure of DSIT, Onwurah warned, as quoted by PublicTechnology, that "splitting its functions across three other departments, risks fragmenting these vital policy areas, and overloading departments that may lack capacity to give them the attention they need". She said the committee expected to look in the autumn at "how science, innovation and technology can best be coordinated across government, in the absence of a dedicated department". The committee's pages on the parliament.uk site block automated checks, so search for the committee name there to find its current inquiries and calls for evidence.

The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) writes short, impartial briefings, called POSTnotes, for MPs and peers. Its history runs back to 1989, when it was set up as a charitable foundation; since 2000 it has been a permanent part of both Houses, funded by Parliament. POSTnotes are free to read and are among the clearest guides to where evidence stands on a topic.

The learned societies of St James's and Mayfair

The national academies cluster in St James's rather than in the Knowledge Quarter.

The Royal Society, on Carlton House Terrace, describes itself as "the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence". Its page on advising policy makers says "influencing" is one of five priorities in its 2022 to 2027 strategic plan, and that much of its work focuses on policy for the science system itself.

The Royal Academy of Engineering is next door at Prince Philip House, 3 Carlton House Terrace. Its annual Spotlight on Spinouts report, published in June 2026, is one of the main data sources on university commercialisation. The British Academy and the Academy of Medical Sciences are the other national academies based in London; both block automated checks, so visit their sites directly.

A short walk north, the Royal Institution at 21 Albemarle Street, Mayfair, was founded in March 1799 to teach science to the public and is a registered charity (227938). It is a place for public lectures, the Faraday Museum and the Christmas Lectures rather than a policy body.

The Knowledge Quarter and the funders

The Knowledge Quarter is a consortium of organisations within a one-mile radius of King's Cross that are "actively engaged in the advancement and dissemination of knowledge". It brought its members together for the first time in 2014. Members range from the British Library, Google and Wellcome to the Francis Crick Institute and the Charles Dickens Museum. It is a membership network and convenor, not a government body.

Wellcome, a Knowledge Quarter member, is an independent charitable foundation whose work is funded from an investment portfolio of £39.9 billion (checked October 2026). Its funding decisions and policy positions carry weight in national debates on research.

The main public funder, UK Research and Innovation, brings together seven research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. University representation also runs through the Russell Group, which represents 24 research-intensive universities, among them UCL, Imperial College London and King's College London.

Innovation districts beyond the centre

White City. Imperial's White City Campus sits at the heart of the White City Innovation District in west London. Imperial describes it as home to more than 5,000 students, scientists and innovators working in over 100 companies, with fields from AI and medtech to engineering biology and climate science.

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Here East occupies the former Olympic Media Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Hackney. The building was redeveloped from 2014 in a privately funded £120 million project, and its tenants include UCL, Loughborough University London, Plexal and V&A East Storehouse.

City Hall's role. The Mayor of London backs early-stage innovation through the London Economic Action Partnership, which put £25 million into the London Co-Investment Fund, a pre-seed and seed fund for tech, science and digital start-ups run by Funding London.

Think tanks and university policy units

Several London institutions turn research into policy argument.

  • The Institute for Government, a non-partisan charity, was founded in 2008 by Lord David Sainsbury, who was science minister from July 1998 to November 2006. It focuses on making government more effective, including its Whitehall Monitor and ministers database.
  • The Policy Institute at King's College London runs research on higher education and other policy themes. With Baroness Deborah Bull and King's Careers it also runs Parliamentary Research Internships: ten-month, part-time placements supporting members of the House of Lords.
  • Centre for London describes itself as "London's independent think tank", with programmes on governing, developing and decarbonising the city.

UCL also has a dedicated Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP) that teaches and researches science policy; its site blocks automated checks.

How researchers can get involved

Science policy in London is easier to enter than it looks. Most routes start with reading, then a structured scheme.

  1. Read the primary outputs. POSTnotes, committee reports, Royal Society policy reports and Government Office for Science Foresight publications are free.
  2. Respond to calls for evidence. Select committees publish written evidence from researchers and organisations, and anyone may submit.
  3. Apply to the Royal Society Pairing Scheme. The Pairing Scheme pairs scientists with MPs, peers and civil servants for a "Week in Westminster" and a return visit to the scientist's institution. Applicants must live and work in the UK and have at least two years of postdoctoral (or equivalent industry) research experience. The Society says it typically receives around 300 applications a year, shortlists 45 and pairs 30. Professor Anjali Goswami, now Defra's Chief Scientific Adviser, credits the scheme with her move into government science.
  4. Consider government science jobs. The Government Science and Engineering profession, managed by the Government Office for Science, is the home for scientists and engineers across the civil service. Vacancies are advertised on Civil Service Jobs.

What to check as the system settles

Because the machinery of government changed in summer 2026, details are still moving. Before you cite a department or contact a team, check:

  • which department now holds the policy area (BIST, DCMS or the Cabinet Office), using the GOV.UK organisation pages above;
  • the current minister responsible, as listed on GOV.UK;
  • whether a select committee has changed its remit or launched an inquiry into the new arrangements;
  • the deadline and eligibility of any scheme, which can change each year.

London is one point of the research triangle with Oxford and Cambridge, and many policy events draw people from all three. Our Cambridge Society guides cover the Cambridge side.