Science, space and infrastructure
“My Government is committed to establishing the United
Kingdom as a world-leader in scientific capability and space
technology. Increased investment in science will be complemented
by the development of a new funding agency, a more open visa
system, and an ambitious national space strategy.”
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We are committed to making the UK a global science
superpower and a magnet for brilliant people and businesses
from across the world.
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To build on our world-leading excellence in science and
deliver solutions to some of the world’s grand challenges we
are:
o Setting out plans in the autumn to
significantly boost public R&D funding, providing a framework
that gives long-term certainty to the scientific
community.
o Establishing a new National Space Council
and launching a comprehensive UK Space Strategy.
o Introducing a more accessible visa system to
attract global scientific and research talent.
o Backing a new approach to funding emerging
fields of research and technology, broadly modelled on the US
Advanced Research Projects Agency. We will work with industry and
academics to finalise this proposal.
o Reducing bureaucracy in research funding to
ensure our brilliant scientists are able to spend as much time as
possible creating new ideas, not filling in unnecessary
forms.
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Our world-leading excellence in science is the foundation
on which we can build the UK’s future prosperity and
productivity, and tackle some of the greatest challenges facing
society - such as ending the UK’s contribution to climate
change, managing the adoption and use of Artificial
Intelligence, transforming our transport systems, and embracing
the changes associated with an ageing population.
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Space capabilities are increasingly central to our
day-to-day life - underpinning a range of technologies from
smartphones to navigation systems. A new National Space Council
and UK Space Strategy will help us lead the way in this
fast-growing, high-technology sector, creating
thousands of jobs across the country and generating
opportunities to strengthen the UK’s global influence while
keeping people safe.
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Our new fast-track immigration scheme for top scientists
and researchers will help significantly enhance the
intellectual and knowledge base of the UK,
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A new approach to funding emerging fields of research and
technology will provide long term funding to support visionary
scientific, engineering, and technology missions, and will
complement the UK’s existing world class research
system.
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The R&D funding plans we will unveil in autumn 2019
will help accelerate our ambition to reach 2.4 per cent of GDP
spent on R&D by 2027. This boost in funding will allow us
to invest strategically in cutting-edge science, while
encouraging the world’s most innovative businesses to invest in
the UK.
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The Cabinet-level National Space Council will put space
at the heart of Government policy and help us deliver a UK
Space Strategy.
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The Space Strategy will boost future funding and lead to
a dedicated innovation programme to support future space
exploration through cutting- edge British innovation in
Artificial Intelligence, robotics and satellites.
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The Government has also announced that the UK will
accelerate efforts to realise fusion energy through investment
in a new UK fusion reactor design programme, known as STEP,
which aims to deliver the world’s first commercially viable
fusion power plant by 2040.
Key facts
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The Government is already increasing public spending on
R&D by £7 billion over 5 years - the biggest increase in
public funding of R&D on record.
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Every £1 of public expenditure on R&D leverages
around £1.40 of additional private investment. Increasing
public expenditure will generate even greater returns for the
UK.
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R&D is vital to a productive economy - firms that
invest in R&D have around 13 per cent higher productivity
than those firms that do not invest.
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The Government will introduce a new fast-track
immigration scheme for the brightest and best scientists and
researchers, who will significantly enhance the intellectual
and knowledge base of the UK.
• The changes to the immigration system will:
o Abolish the cap on numbers under the Tier 1
Exceptional Talent Visas.
o Expand the pool of UK research institutes
and universities able to endorse candidates.
o Create criteria that confer automatic
endorsement, subject to immigration checks.
o Ensure dependents have full access to the
labour market.
o Remove the need to hold an offer of
employment before arriving.
o Provide an accelerated path to
settlement.
