The Science and Technology Committee today releases its
Report into Balance and effectiveness of research and
innovation spending.
Beyond the Golden Triangle
The Committee believes that research excellence needs to be
encouraged outside of the ‘golden triangle’ of concentrated
research funding (between London, Oxford and Cambridge) and
recommends that UKRI significantly increase the size of the
Strength In Places Fund to address this issue.
Research and development funding
The Government has set a target for research and development
(R&D) funding to reach 2.4% of GDP by 2027 and reiterated
this commitment in the recent Spending Round.
The Committee welcomes this target and recommends that the
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) publish their roadmaps
setting out plans to achieve it as soon as possible, and no later
than the end of 2019.
ONS data suggests that R&D spending of 1.69% in 2017 in the
UK was an increase from 1.67% the previous year. In terms
of international comparison, using UNESCO data these levels are
similar to Canada and Norway, but lower than France (2.3%),
Germany (2.9%) and behind table leaders such as South Korea and
Israel (both 4.2%).
Plans contained in the roadmaps should show an integrated
approach between UKRI and BEIS that suitably reflects the
strengths and prospects of the UK economy These plans should
be developed beyond 2027 to ensure travel towards the longer-term
3% target.
Quality Related Funding
The flat profile of quality-related (QR)[1] funding in
recent years suggests that it has not been prioritised in funding
decisions, although the announcement of a £45 million increase in
QR funding by Research England in July 2019 indicates that there
may be a change in this focus.
The Committee recommends that a focus on QR funding is maintained
in future funding decisions, and review whether additional
support should be provided for smaller but potentially
fast-growing institutions.
Dual Support system
The Committee recommends that UKRI extend its analysis of
‘balance’ beyond the dual support system, looking at other
dimensions of balance such as the regional concentration of
funding, the balance between research and innovation, and the
balance between capital and current spending, as addressed in
this Report.
Rt Hon , Chair of the Science and
Technology Committee, said:
“Research and development spending brings huge economic and
social benefits to us all. So, although we welcome the
Government’s commitment to substantially increase research and
development funding to 2.4% by 2027, a plan is now needed on how
this target will be achieved. We are already behind international
competitors such as Germany and France, and we can’t fall further
behind.
“We have advised the Government to publish its ‘roadmaps’ on how
it hopes to meet the 2.4% target no later than the end of this
year. I hope to see plans that reach beyond 2027 and clearly
reflect how integration between UKRI and BEIS will strengthen and
harness the benefits of research spending for society.
“While UK research is world-leading and we have many
world-leading universities and research institutions, excellence
and funding are concentrated in a small number of institutions,
in a few regions of the UK. The Government’s Strength in Places
Fund is a key tool in spreading excellence to different regions.
However, it is too modest to drive any significant rebalancing of
investment. That’s why we’ve called for it to be substantially
increased.”
