Commentary on provisions of Act The Advanced Research and Invention Agency Section 2: ARIA’s functions
This section states that ARIA may, or commission or support others to, conduct scientific research, develop and exploit scientific knowledge and collect, share, publish and advance scientific knowledge. See section 11 (Interpretation) for the meaning of "scientific research" and "scientific knowledge". The ability to perform these activities in its own right, in addition to supporting others to do them, provides the flexibility to enable a wide variety of project and programme structures and arrangements with partners in academic and industry settings.
	Subsection (1)(a) allows ARIA to conduct scientific research, which will enable it to pursue discovery-focused activities. ARIA may commission or support others to do the same.
	Subsection (1)(b) empowers ARIA to develop and exploit scientific knowledge which will enable it to use scientific research for the purposes of creating prototypes or introducing products to market. ARIA may commission or support others to do the same. ARIA may take an equity stake in a company with which it has partnered to conduct basic research with the intent of bringing a product to market, for example. ARIA may continue to provide technological input after a product has gone to market.
	Subsection (1)(c) allows ARIA to disseminate scientific knowledge by convening conferences or seminars, or publish a range of materials for different audiences. ARIA may commission or support others to do the same. These activities may bring people and organisations together which might not otherwise partner for the purpose of advancing scientific knowledge.
	In exercising its functions to support others, ARIA may provide financial support including making grants, loans, investments in companies or other entities, or any other payments including prizes. The provision of financial support is subject to any conditions which are attached to grant funding given by the Secretary of State to ARIA under section 4. It may also make available rights or other property, for example, a patent that ARIA had obtained. See Paragraph 17 of Schedule 1 for ARIA’s supplementary powers.
	Subsection 3 allows ARIA to attach conditions to its provision of financial support or making of property available. This subsection gives ARIA a general power to attach the conditions it deems appropriate, although a number of examples of such conditions are listed in particular.
	In performing the functions in section 2, ARIA is not restricted to activities the United Kingdom (UK). However, ARIA must have regard to the desirability of doing so for the benefit of the United Kingdom through:
contributing to economic growth, or an economic benefit, in the UK;
promoting scientific innovation and invention in the UK; or
improving the quality of life in the UK (or in the UK and elsewhere).