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Research Topic
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Research problems linked to this topic
- How can open source data, big data and data science techniques inform us about the emerging trends in trade across different sectors?
- What impact is increasing consolidation in the local and national press sectors having on press plurality, and to what extent is consolidation necessary to secure financial sustainability of the sector?
- We would like to understand the extent to which capital allowance rules and the overall corporate tax burden affects investment decisions in the sector.
- How can insights from behavioural economics and nudge theory inform business engagement with DIT products and services?
- What is the trade-off of cost compared to security that companies are seeing? Could the cost of security cause businesses to minimise or abstain from effective security protocols and codes of practice that are produced by governments, regulators and international organisations/bodies? If so, what could be done to mitigate this risk?
- How can the UK build its potential to transform research into intellectual property (IP) and products/services and to commercialise to increase its global market share?
- How does technology usage affect competitiveness in the market, for example delivery rates and value for money? How does this differ across technologies and organisations?
- How are creative businesses using technology to increase their productivity, is this through reducing costs, increasing their access to consumers/audiences or increasing the value of their products or services?
- We are interested in which companies we might collaborate with in order to give the UK a leading role within global value chains.
- How does wide-spread take-up of 4G mobile connectivity affect businesses on a local and national level? What impact might it have on (i) productivity, (ii)competition, (iii) economic performance, (iv) human capital? How does this differ for different business sectors?
- Understanding what works to improve the quality and resilience of the sport and physical activity system through better business models and regulation.
- What is the financial capability of the broadband altnet market and how may this change over the next decade?
- What has been effective in supporting businesses to adopt digital technologies? What difference have these made to productivity?
- Detailed company data on both current expenditure and investment in AI.
- What are some of the key drivers and enablers for take-up of gigabit-speed connectivity for (i) residential premises; (ii) business premises? [question of relevance to Digital Infrastructure, as seen in their section 1]
- How do delays to delivery impact: (i) the organisation delivering the network(ii) other actors in the telecom market (iii) the premises being delivered to (business and residential)? How does this impact vary based on the length of delay?
- To what extent can existing rail and roadside infrastructure be used to support or deliver expanded mobile coverage across the UK? What innovative business models might promote improved coverage in road and rail corridors?
- How have different sectors (aerospace, financial services, telecoms), sizes of business, regions and the self-employed been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, and how might they be impacted differently by the recovery phase?
- What are the economic costs faced by businesses across different sectors, in relation to conformity assessment?
- To what extent do AI companies face sufficient incentives to invest in risk measurement, prevention and mitigation?
- To what extent can the private sector deliver investment promotion together with DIT?
- Identify the policy intervention options for mitigating barriers to UK capability, including analysis of how policy could stimulate or support (e.g. research and publications, start ups, investments, commercialisation). What can we learn from other countries’ approaches, or what are the ecosystem benefits we can emulate from the practice of leading international companies?
- What kind of mix of business models for PSB and non-PSB broadcasters might the market sustain going forwards?
- How can we best evaluate the impact of DIT’s campaigns and events on businesses?
- Identify factors which inhibit UK telecoms research and development in terms of: (i) skills and talents (education, jobs), (ii) R&D (lack of IP knowledge, facilities), (iii) investment (private sector / venture capital), (iv) coordination, (v) market dynamics (barriers to entry, commercialisation, international policies and subsidies).
- Data on the number of companies that fail to secure funding in the UK but successfully access capital in the US.
- What are some of the emergent technologies which will increase the need for gigabit connectivity for (i) residential premises; (ii) business premises?
- In what ways might the broadcasting market change in the long-term? What can an analysis of business models and changing viewing habits tell us about the likelihood of market convergence and whether that might be vertical or horizontal integration through the supply chain?
- What beliefs and mindset do creative industries business leaders hold on their environmental impacts? How do these affect business activities and action to reduce environmental impact?
- Which businesses or sectors consistently have lower cybersecurity adoption rates and is this affected by regulation levels in those sectors?
- Detailed company data on workforce composition and compensation.
- What barriers to obtaining finance do creative businesses experience? What are they doing to overcome known barriers?
- What barriers exist to building sustainable business models in the press sector and what action is required to remove these?
- What is the financial capability of the broadband subcontractor market and how may this change over the next decade?
- What further data sources could help us build a more complete picture of the investor journey, including who is involved?
- What are the best ways to measure business perceptions of risk in relation to exporting post COVID-19?
- How does wide-spread take-up of gigabit connectivity affect businesses on local and national level? What impact might it have on (i) productivity, including Business-to-Business transactions [for further relevant questions on productivity see Digital Infrastructure section 1], (ii) competition, (iii) economic performance, (iv) human capital? How does this differ for different business sectors?
- How has COVID-19 changed the way in which businesses in DCMS sectors operate and what does this mean for future financial resilience and lessons learnt for future economic shocks?
- What affects willingness to pay for news online? What types of content are different audience groups willing to pay for? In what ways are different audiences willing to pay (e.g. regular subscription, donation)? How does this change over time and what influences that change?
- How should the UK position itself in terms of the global AI market? What sort of AI businesses should we particularly be looking to attract?
- How inclusive is the evolving digital identity ecosystem? What are the barriers to inclusion within the system? What are the benefits of digital identity to individuals and businesses? How can we ensure the UK’s digital identity ecosystem is secure? Within the current market which groups are disproportionately affected or are more likely to become left behind as digital identity solutions become more widespread? What are some of the consequences of having excluded groups? Are there differences across different sectors or use cases? How can we build trust in digital identity solutions?
- How does investment and export promotion engage with varied supply chains, given small and medium enterprise internationalisation?
- How can various data sources inform how we identify and target support to large businesses which are high value or volume UK exporters?
- To what extent can investment in the market be predicted? What factors incentivise and disincentives investment into a supplier or subcontractor?
- What behavioural and attitudinal considerations can be mapped in this area and how do we encourage good behaviours across organisations?
- To what extent do the impacts of market access barriers have varying effects according to the size of firm? How does this vary by the type of barrier?
- In response to a trade shock, what innovative approaches to support data collection, dissemination and application can be taken, without burdening businesses and frontline staff?
- Which international supply chains do creative businesses rely on? What are the levels of supply chain resilience in the creative industries, and how easily can they switch to alternative markets?
- Data on risk-adjusted returns on UK start-ups relative to other countries.
- What are the impacts of 5G on users’ day-to-day lives? How will people and businesses use this connectivity?
- To what extent do business strategies include exporting as a means of achieving business growth? How does this vary by business characteristics?
- What methods are best to isolate the impact of one service provided by the DIT service from others we provide?
- What factors make countries and regions attractive as destinations for investment in high potential, early stage, technology-based entrepreneurs?
- What benefits of increased connectivity can still be achieved at sub-gigabit speeds which are still above ultrafast (300-999 mbps)? How do the benefits compare at different levels; for example, what are the benefits at 600 mbps versus 700 mbps? How do these differences in benefits change over time?
- We need to understand who the UK technology companies are, who owns them and who invests in them.
- Detailed company and sector level data to enable estimates of gross value added and labour productivity.
- Interactions: How does the way that statistics are produced influence the value that users get from them, and how can this be addressed to maximise value? To what degree to statistics need to be directly used for them to provide value (or do people value outcomes from others using them instead)?
- What further data sources could help us build a more complete picture of the exporter journey?
- What are some of the barriers local authorities experience in using gigabit connectivity and extracting the most value from digitally harmonised services?
- To what extent is export support for large businesses effective in providing opportunities for small businesses in the UK supply chain? How regionally specific is this relationship?
- How can we effectively measure levels of ‘servitisation’ and ‘servicification’? [footnote 1]
- What factors have historically been important to identify large businesses which are high value or volume exporters? To what extent are these factors sector specific?
- To what extent are the impacts of COVID-19 temporary and which represent permanent trends to supply, demand and business models? What opportunities and challenges do these changes in behaviour present for businesses across DCMS sectors, both in the short-run and longer-term?
- "Could 4G mobile connectivity be enough, especially for extremely isolated populations that would be extremely costly to connect with fibre? For how long could 4G coverage be sufficient instead of broadband for (i) a residential premise; (ii) a business premise? To what extent is there demand in these communities for broadband connectivity?"
- Providing sufficient scale up capital for fast growing tech and deep tech companies is always a very important topic, as part of the global race for leadership.
- What is the current and potential future impact of climate change on creative businesses, their operations and productivity?
- How can we quantify the impact of good regulatory practice?
- What effect does COVID-19 have on business models and supply chain structure? How does the renewed focus on shortening or regionalisation vary by sector?
- How can we best evaluate how businesses receive DIT’s communications, in terms of awareness, appeal and clarity?
- What are the risks and opportunities to creative business growth posed by new technology, including automation such as the use of AI?
- What productivity benefits can businesses expect from investing in tech upskilling?