CaSE Election Manifesto for Science and Engineering 2019

CaSE has published three actions that all political parties must commit to in their election manifestos to help UK science and innovation thrive

A manifesto for science and engineering

Science and engineering are essential to solving challenges facing Government and citizens and to creating new highly skilled jobs across the UK. Reaching net-zero carbon emissions, developing innovative new health treatments, new electric vehicles, supporting an ageing population to work for longer, and more, all require research and innovation.

CaSE calls on all political parties to make the following commitments to support science and engineering:

1. A long-term plan to reach 3% of GDP invested in R&D by the end of the next decade, with planned annual increases for public investment in R&D

Global businesses cite the UK’s strong academic base as a reason for investing in R&D in the UK. Members have told CaSE that leadership and long-term R&D investment from Government enables them to plan and gives industry confidence to keep on investing in R&D.

2. Make the UK a partner of choice for international collaborations, including with the EU

The evidence shows that international collaboration makes science stronger and leads to higher quality research. The best route to that collaboration in Europe is full participation in EU research programmes. Therefore, the UK must secure full participation in Horizon Europe when it begins in 2021.

3. An immigration system that works for Science and Engineering

For research-intensive organisations and professionals, movement of labour is not just necessary but is greatly beneficial. Movement of people, and therefore of ideas, has been shown to enhance the quality of scientific research outputs in the UK.