United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is one of Germany’s most important economic partners and one of Europe’s leading digital hubs, with high-performance digital infrastructure, a strong AI ecosystem and a vibrant start-up and venture capital landscape. The country is also a leader in digital public administration.

In order to work together on issues such as AI regulation, Germany and the United Kingdom have launched a bilateral digital dialogue. In July 2025, this cooperation was taken to the next level with the UK’s and Germany’s Strategic Science and Technology Partnership, as part of the UK-German bilateral friendship agreement. Joint projects specifically strengthen key technologies such as AI, semiconductors and quantum technology. They also promote innovation partnerships between industry, research and government.

The deepened partnership has already delivered concrete results:

Industrial corridor connects British and German tech companies

In October 2026, both countries announced an Industrial Tech Corridor. The corridor is designed to foster cross-border business collaboration by connecting fast-growing tech companies with established market leaders. This gives young companies new business opportunities and supports them as they scale up. German participants include Allianz, Bosch, RWE and Siemens.

In addition, Germany and the United Kingdom are jointly investing around €20 million in quantum technology research.

UK Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Jonathan Reynolds highlighted the mutual benefits in a joint statement. In particular, he emphasised how bringing together the strengths of companies and innovators in both countries can deliver long-term benefits. Dr Karsten Wildberger, Federal Minister for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation, stressed the importance of this partnership in strengthening digital sovereignty in Europe.

Working together to make advanced AI systems safer

The two governments have also agreed to work together to strengthen the safety and security of AI applications. The Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the German AI Safety and Security Institute announced deeper cooperation, together with their British counterparts, in a joint statement in June 2026.

Both countries intend to share best practice on AI evaluation to gain a better understanding of advanced AI systems. They also plan to align their research priorities and build capacity through knowledge exchange. Closer cooperation is essential to mitigate cybersecurity risks that are amplified by AI.