About us
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have merged to form the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). For information on education and skills, see the [Department for Education (DfE)](/government/organisations/department-for-education). For information on trade, see the [Department for International Trade (DIT)](/government/organisations/department-for-international-trade).
Responsibilities
We are responsible for:
- working with further and higher education providers to give students the skills they need to compete in a global employment market
- supporting innovation and developing the UK’s science and research industry, which is important to help economic growth
- making sure consumer law is fair for both consumers and businesses, and that consumers know their rights and are able to use them effectively
- supporting British businesses to increase productivity and compete anywhere in the world
- better regulation - by cutting the amount of regulation and making it easy to understand we can help businesses cut time, save money and be more efficient
Priorities
Our priorities for 2016 to 2017 include:
- business and enterprise
- competitiveness and exports
- science and innovation
- apprenticeships and skills
- higher education
- labour markets
Read our Single Departmental Plan to find out more about how we are performing against our objectives.
Who we are
We have around 2,500 staff working for BIS plus around 500 people working for UK Trade & Investment in the UK.
Our partner organisations include 9 executive agencies employing around 14,500 staff.
We have BIS offices in London, Sheffield, Billingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Glasgow, Manchester, Nottingham, Runcorn and Watford.
BIS works with 48 agencies and public bodies. Read more about them: Cabinet Office Public bodies reports, information and guidance.