On Thursday 06 November 2025, HM Treasury hosted its third annual Innovation Day at Treasury HQ. This flagship showcase event celebrated the people and projects driving innovation across the Treasury Group and beyond.

Attendees explored four dynamic zones:

• Live speaker sessions featured keynote panels and globally recognised thought leaders from across Treasury Group, academia, industry, and from other government departments.

• The AI Demo Lounge was filled with a live look at innovative AI tooling ready to take you and your team to the next level.

• A buzzing Partner Expo with interactive stands from leading strategic suppliers, cross-government networks, and Arm’s Length Bodies.

• An exclusive Roundtable for senior government leaders to discuss digital transformation and AI challenges.

Innovation Day 2025 brought together policy professionals, engagement teams, technologists, and leaders, to explore how digital transformation can deliver better outcomes for the public we serve and to inspire new ways of working. The event showcased practical solutions, thought leadership and collaborative approaches to the challenges facing modern government.

“There’s so much energy, excitement, and constructive change in the air—it’s really inspiring." - Permanent Secretary, HM Treasury

Partner Exhibition Highlights

The Expo area was designed to showcase practical innovation that delivers measurable value for Treasury and its stakeholders. Featuring a diverse mix of trusted partners and internal teams, the stalls highlighted solutions in AI, automation, cyber security, sustainability and digital transformation. Attendees had the opportunity to engage directly with subject matter experts, explore technologies addressing real business challenges, and learn how these innovations can support smarter decision-making and operational efficiency. Delegates left having discovered new solutions to problems that drive innovation, slash duplication, and allow for economies of scale savings and efficiency gains. Professional communities such as the Document Accessibility Community of Practice and the Digital Workplace Community were also present, promoting digital inclusion and upskilling to help colleagues build capability and confidence in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Arm’s Length Body (ALB) Highlights

GIAA showcased its commitment to innovation, reinforcing the importance of assurance in digital transformation. Their Insights Engine uses Natural Language Processing to read, summarise and analyse large volumes of text quickly, including audit reports, board minutes and consultation feedback. It can identify key themes and patterns, extract relevant paragraphs and produce interactive summaries to support decision-making.

NISTA (formerly NIC) impressed with cutting-edge demonstrations in the AI Lounge and proudly took home the TrIS Innovation Award, recognising its transformative approach to technology adoption.

FCA and UKEF joined the Partner Expo, sharing insights on how collaboration and emerging technologies can deliver smarter, more resilient services across government. The FCA has introduced an AI Lab that provides a controlled environment for firms to experiment with AI solutions under regulatory guidance. This includes technical support, clarity on compliance requirements, and access to synthetic datasets for safe testing. Another major development is the Sovereign Credit Rating Model, by UKEF, a machine learning-powered tool created by UKEF’s Country Risk and Analysis Team. This model enhances sovereign risk assessments, delivering greater precision and agility in evaluating country creditworthiness, which is critical for export finance guarantees.

ALBs took a leading role across dynamic zones including the AI Demo Lounge, Partner Expo and senior leader Roundtable, all designed to accelerate digital capability and foster cross-government collaboration.

AI Lounge Highlights

The AI Lounge at Innovation Day 2025 offered an immersive experience of cutting-edge artificial intelligence and robotics. Continuous demonstrations from the Incubator for AI, NISTA, and the Treasury Data Hub showcased practical applications of emerging technologies. A standout feature was the AI Robotics demonstration, headlined by the Boston Dynamics robot dog “SPOT” from special guests, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Sellarfield Ltd. This live showcase illustrated how advanced robotics is already being deployed across government to tackle real-world challenges, highlighting opportunities for smarter decision-making, operational efficiency, and responsible innovation.

Executive Roundtable Highlights

A closed, invite-only session held under the Chatham House Rule for senior cross-government leaders. Facilitated by Shehroze Junjero of UK Government Investments, the discussion explored how to de-risk digital transformation, whether to adopt an AI-first approach, the leadership role in working with data specialists, identifying quick wins, and making the investment case. Attendees left with practical actions, new connections, and a shared approach to driving innovation across government.

Live Auditorium Sessions -

Welcome to Innovation Day (09:45)

Mike Potter opened the day with bold insights on digital transformation, setting the tone for a future-focused event. A message from the Chancellor reinforced the importance of innovation in public service.

Key takeaways:

• Innovation must be embedded as a cultural norm, not treated as a one-off initiative.

• Leadership endorsement is critical to drive confidence and momentum for change.

• Policy and technology must work hand-in-hand to deliver measurable public value.

Balancing AI Innovation with Sustainability (10:00)

Scott Logic Ltd led a discussion on sustainable tech and cloud strategies, exploring how environmental responsibility can go hand-in-hand with digital progress.

Key takeaways:

• Cloud adoption can reduce carbon impact while improving scalability and resilience.

• Sustainability should be a design principle in all digital programmes, not an afterthought.

• Policy frameworks must integrate environmental metrics alongside performance indicators.

One Big Thing: AI for All – Responsible and Effective AI for Public Good (11:00)

Treasury Chief Information Officer Huw Stephens led a panel discussion with perspectives from academia and industry leaders on making AI inclusive, ethical and impactful for society.

Key takeaways:

• Responsible AI requires clear governance and transparency to maintain public trust.

• Inclusivity in AI design ensures equitable outcomes across diverse communities.

• Policy professionals should anticipate ethical risks and embed safeguards early.

TrIS Innovation Awards – Celebrating Digital Excellence (12:00)

Director of Operations, Rebecca Coady, presented the Innovation of the Year 2025 Award to The Teal Book, highlighting their transformative approach to project delivery.

Key takeaways:

• Recognition of innovation motivates teams and reinforces a culture of improvement.

• Award-winning projects demonstrate how agile methods can accelerate delivery.

• Sharing success stories helps scale best practice across departments.

Creating Safe Spaces for Modern Work (12:30)

Head of Technology Change, Nick Matthews, explored practical steps to foster inclusion and wellbeing in hybrid workplaces.

Key takeaways:

• Psychological safety is essential for collaboration and innovation in distributed teams.

• Inclusive design of workspaces supports productivity and employee wellbeing.

• Policy should reflect flexible working principles to attract and retain talent.

Unlocking Productivity with M365 (13:00)

Microsoft Executives and Modern Workplace Specialists and experts demonstrated how modern collaboration tools can streamline processes and boost efficiency across Treasury Group.

Key takeaways:

• M365 tools enable secure, accessible and agile working across government.

• Automation and integration reduce administrative burden and free capacity for policy work.

• Training and adoption strategies are vital to realise full value from digital platforms.

Emerging Technologies: What’s Next After AI? (14:00)

A panel discussion led by Apolitical examined quantum computing, generative AI and next-generation technologies shaping policy and operations.

Key takeaways:

• Quantum computing will redefine data analysis and security in the public sector.

• Generative AI offers opportunities for policy modelling but requires robust oversight.

• Future-proofing policy means anticipating disruptive technologies and adapting frameworks.

The Future of AI-Powered Policy Making (15:00)

Senior government leaders from around the world explored how AI can enable smarter, faster policy delivery while maintaining accountability.

Key takeaways:

• AI can accelerate evidence-based policy but must uphold transparency and fairness.

• Data ethics and governance are non-negotiable for public trust in AI-driven decisions.

• Policy professionals need digital literacy to engage confidently with emerging tools.

For more on last year’s Innovation Day, visit:

👉 HM Treasury Innovation Day 2024: Highlights and Achievements

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