The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on Thursday (30 October) confirmed long-term funding for the UK’s research agencies and bodies, with bumper investment for the bodies that are making science and tech breakthroughs that improve lives and grow our economy.
This includes £55 billion long-term backing for the UK’s research agencies and bodies is a real-terms rise, with the department making its largest-ever investment in Research and Development.
New government analysis shows the value of public investment in R&D to the UK, with every £1 spent delivering £8 in net economic benefits over the long term. Crowding in private investment is a key part of this, with every £1 of public money invested in R&D crowding in a further £2 in private investment, on average.
The Science and Tech Secretary Liz Kenall announced the allocations while visiting IBM’s London base, to see first-hand how private investment is supporting the strength of the UK’s public offer on R&D, boosting work from quantum to robotics.
Publicly-funded UK research has already resulted in some of the most important breakthroughs of recent years, including the first cutting-edge antibody products which have transformed some cancers from a guaranteed death sentence to manageable chronic conditions.
IBM is also working in partnership with publicly-funded researchers through UKRI’s £210 million Hartree Centre, to bring AI, quantum computing and supercomputing to bear to discover new medicines and breakthroughs in clean energy.
While the company is also one of several technology vendors providing access to cutting-edge quantum computing resources via the National Quantum Computing Centre, which will benefit from a first-of-its-kind 10-year government funding commitment.
“Backing our best and brightest researchers and innovators is essential. They are making the impossible possible, from health to clean energy and beyond. Their ideas will create tomorrow’s industries, boosting growth and transforming public services now and in the future,” Kendall said.
“By investing in their work, we are backing the long-term success of the UK, by paving the way for breakthroughs that will help us all to live and work better.”
The R&D funding being confirmed today, covering the Spending Review period ending 2029/2030, includes:
- UKRI, the UK’s national funding agency for science and research, will deliver more than £38 billion across the period, including nearly £10 billion in 2029/2030 alone
- The budget for ARIA – the UK’s agency backing bold, long-term breakthroughs – to rise from £220 million a year to £400 million a year by 2029/2030. One area that ARIA is supporting is how robots could potentially help meet the growing need for adult social care
- Over £1.4 billion in total backing for the Met Office, to keep the UK at the forefront of climate science
- Over £900 million total backing for the UK’s prestigious National Academies
- Over £550 million for the National Measurement System, and £240 million for the AI Security Institute
- All these allocations will support vital investment in universities, research institutes, and businesses across the UK
DSIT’s overall R&D budget will grow in real terms over the Spending Review period, totalling £58.5 billion from 2026/2027 to 2029/2030.
Leave a Reply