.jpeg?trim=335,0,1,0&width=1200&height=800&crop=1200:800 "Independent Arabia correspondent Maryam Abu Daqqa posthumously awarded Press Freedom Hero Award – UK Times")
On Wednesday 24 September 2025, representatives of the UK and State of Utah governments attended the second government-to-government working group meeting held in Salt Lake City, Utah. The 2023 Memorandum of Understanding on economic cooperation and trade relations, entered between the UK and Utah, created this working group.
Paul J. Rennie OBE, British Consul General, chaired the opening session of the meeting hosted by Deidre Henderson, Lieutenant Governor of Utah, and Franz Kolb, Director of the Utah Governor’s Center for International Business & Diplomacy, with officials from the respective governments and participation from the Welsh Government.
As part of the working group, a series of business roundtables enabled in-depth discussions on the energy, health and life sciences, and aerospace sectors, and included participation from UK and Utah companies.
Building on the past success of the Utah delegation visit to the UK in June 2025, led by Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, this discussion on energy focused on the UK’s and Utah’s shared priorities in the advanced civil nuclear sector. The roundtable included best practice sharing on workforce development as well as a discussion on nuclear fuels and mining. The UK and Utah agreed to explore opportunities to further enhance cooperation in the civil nuclear sector.
The health and life sciences session included information sharing on UK developments in regulation, procurement, clinical research and funding in the life sciences sector. The session further included a discussion on opportunities for Utah biotech businesses to expand into the UK.
The aerospace session focused on the advanced aerial mobility sector in both the UK and Utah, including opportunities under Utah’s ‘Project Alta,’ and discussed collaboration and best practice exchanges ahead of the Salt Lake City 2034 Winter Olympics.
The working group committed to further activities to enhance the UK and Utah relationship and to support mutual economic growth, including
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Utah will send an official delegation to the UK to attend the 2026 Farnborough Air Show in July with the purpose of exploring additional opportunities for collaboration with the UK’s aerospace sector;
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The parties will develop a joint workplan on civil nuclear energy;
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Further engagement in the life sciences sector at the BIO, JP Morgan, and Select USA conferences in the US.
The UK and Utah agreed to hold a follow-up working group meeting in 2026, including representatives from industry as part of the continued work to support mutual economic growth and deliver trade and investment for UK and Utah businesses.