Ahead of tomorrow’s Spring Statement, we assess the state of play in UK R&D
Looking ahead to the Spring Statement 2019
12 Mar 2019
This year’s Spring Statement is shrouded in more uncertainty than any fiscal event in recent years. Following on from the most recent ‘meaningful vote’ is going to be difficult but we want to make sure that the Government does not lose sight of its pledge to increase R&D investment in the UK. We believe that to counter the uncertainty caused by the wider Brexit debate, the Government can use the Spring Statement to send a powerful message that it means business in supporting research and innovation in the UK.
We have previously made a projection to show what would be required in order to reach the Government’s target to increase investment in R&D to 2.4% of GDP by 2027. We encourage the Chancellor to set out a long-term plan for R&D investment tomorrow. It is no secret that a huge increase in public investment is required to help meet the target, while a long term plan for public investment can build business confidence that the UK is the place to invest. The Government’s R&D target is a vision that is shared by all major political parties. R&D can be a central actor in improving lives, creating better jobs and supporting the environment. We will be analysing the Spring Statement tomorrow to see what the announcements mean for science and engineering.
Update: You can read our response to the Spring Statement here.

Related resources

ONS data shows that expenditure on research and development (R&D) performed by UK businesses was £49.97 billion in 2023.

In the first Labour Government budget for 14 years, Chancellor Rachel Reeves made a series of announcements as part of the Autumn Budget 2024. Below we delve into some of the measures impacting R&D.

CaSE and the Science Media Centre coordinated a letter to The Times from eminent figures in UK research and development expressing concerns about potential cuts to the R&D budget.

CaSE has published a joint letter with other R&D organisations, calling on the Chancellor to use the upcoming autumn budget to commit to continued investment in R&D.