Head of Government Levers at Innovate UK

Dr Ian Brotherston is Head of Government Levers at Innovate UK. Ian is responsible for the delivery of Innovate UK’s ‘Government Levers’ strategy, specifically the role of procurement in stimulating innovation, including delivery of the SBRI Programme, and the role of regulation, standards and NQI in innovation. Ian is also responsible for Innovate UK’s relationships with other UK Government departments, and other strategically important stakeholder organisations. Previously Ian was responsible for Innovate UK’s relationships with colleagues in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, their governments & agencies.

Ian joined Innovate UK in February 2015 as KTP Programme Manager. In this role Ian led a major operational overhaul and strategic realignment of the programme.

Prior to Innovate UK Ian was Head of Enterprise at Heriot-Watt University where he was responsible for the industry sponsored research, commercial exploitation of IP, and enterprise creation.

His commercial background includes spells working for QinetiQ and DERA, and Ionic Polymer Solutions, a chemical start-up company which developed novel high-temperature proton conductive membranes for fuel cells.