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The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill (CSRB), announced in the King’s Speech in July 2024, is expected to be introduced this month. The Bill is designed to build upon the existing Network and Information Systems Regulations to mitigate against increasingly dangerous cyber threats. Through expanded and strengthened regulations and compliance mechanisms, the bill will mark a significant moment of change in UK policy. With that in mind, here is your go-to guide to understanding the...

Jack Fertility, an Oxford-based men’s healthtech startup, has raised more than £500,000 in pre-seed funding to launch Snip Check, the UK’s first home-to-lab postal vasectomy test kit, and accelerate development of its broader range of male reproductive health solutions. The round was led by Fuel Ventures, with participation from Microsoft angels, Alma Angels, The Beam Network, Moonstone Venture Capital, FemTech Lab, Founders Factory’s Reckitt Benckiser Accelerator, and the Oxford Seed Fund. Co-founded by Nick Shipley...

The Royal Borough of Greenwich has secured £5.8 million in government funding to help residents who face barriers to employment find and sustain meaningful work. The funding will support the launch of Connect to Work, a new voluntary programme designed to provide up to 12 months of tailored, one-to-one vocational support for people who are unemployed or at risk of losing their job. Delivered by Greenwich Local Labour and Business (GLLaB), the council’s employment and...

The government has announced up to £50 million in new funding to accelerate research into mental health treatments and technologies, marking one of the largest single public investments in the field. Unveiled to coincide with World Mental Health Day, the initiative aims to put people with lived experience of mental health problems “at the heart” of scientific innovation — shaping how future therapies and medicines are developed. The new funding forms part of the government’s...

Pete Mills, founder and chief executive of Crysp Ltd, has been named a ‘One to Watch’ in the prestigious LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders 2025, following a year of exceptional growth and innovation for the Bradford-based technology firm. The annual list, compiled by LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group, in partnership with The Times, celebrates the UK’s most dynamic entrepreneurs and high-growth business leaders. The ‘Ones to Watch’ category highlights...

The LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders 2025 has unveiled its new cohort of the UK’s most dynamic and visionary entrepreneurs, marking the eighth year of the national awards programme that celebrates the country’s growth champions. Created by LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group, in partnership with The Times, the programme recognises the founders and chief executives behind Britain’s fastest-growing and most innovative medium-sized businesses. This year’s Top 50 were chosen...

Pub landlords and hospitality chiefs have dismissed Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to allow pubs to stay open later, branding the idea “a complete waste of time” amid warnings that extended trading hours will only increase costs and staffing pressures. The Prime Minister unveiled the proposal on Wednesday as part of a fast-track review of licensing laws, aimed at boosting footfall and cutting red tape for the struggling hospitality sector. He said the move would “allow...