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Revealed: Why government tried to shield £800m research agency from scrutiny

Government forced to release discussions after information rights watchdog rules in openDemocracy’s favour

By Jenna Corderoy
Revealed: Why government tried to shield £800m research agency from scrutiny
So why don't we know where taxpayers' money is going? | Public domain
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The government has been forced to reveal why it tried to shield an £800m “high risk, high reward” scientific research body from transparency rules.

Experts have said the revelations “confirm how weak the government’s case is” and that the Freedom of Information Act “is not safe in the government’s hands”.

Ministers at the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) department set out their plan in February 2021 to create the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA). The agency is expected to materialise later in 2022; BEIS announced the appointments of its chief exec and chair this week.

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