The Prime Minister and the Chancellor have clearly indicated their commitment to the UK’s world-leading science sector and its ability to drive economic recovery, so we are dismayed to uncover evidence of widespread disinvestment in science across government. Since 2009/10 the total R&D expenditure has seen a reduction of £856m to its lowest level in real terms since 2001/02.
In 2012, CaSE analysis of budget changes between 2009/10 and 2010/11 found evidence that many departments under financial pressure reduced R&D more than other spending. This analysis by CaSE of figures for 2010/11 and 2011/12, reported in the Financial Times, shows that Whitehall’s R&D expenditure has been slashed by £856 million since 2009-10, with many departments seeing year on year cuts to R&D.
CaSE departmental R&D Analysis 2014
Download ReportRelated resources
R&D investment is still not keeping pace with inflation
15 August 2025
The ONS have published the latest figures for R&D expenditure in the UK in 2023 (GERD). CaSE take a look at what they mean for R&D in the UK.
Parliament ‘end-of-term’ R&D policy round-up
28 July 2025
Now that Parliament has finished for the summer, here is an ‘end-of-term’ round-up of all recent CaSE analysis of Government’s plans.
Departmental R&D budgets: how is public investment divided?
24 July 2025
Following the 2025 Spending Review, CaSE takes a deeper look at the trends in R&D budget allocations to government departments and at the challenges in assessing R&D expenditure within the Ministry of Defence.
Mapping the economic returns of R&D in the UK
02 July 2025
This synthesis draws out key policy implications from the findings of a report commissioned by the British Academy and CaSE. The systems-based analysis of the strengths and weaknesses within the UK’s innovation system, ‘From Research to Productivity: A Systems Analysis of UK Innovation Pathways’, was conducted by Cambridge Econometrics.