General Election Hub

With the next General Election due before January 2025, CaSE is ready for the opportunity to put science and engineering at the heart of the debate.

On this election hub you can find our election priorities to support science engineering, some useful resources, and details about how you can get involved with the campaign. We will be regularly updating this page as we progress towards the election.

As part of our election build up the CaSE team will be attending some of the national party conferences this autumn. We are looking forward to seeing many of our members and collaborators there, and would welcome the opportunity to meet with any others who are also attending. You can find which conferences we are attending below, and how to get in touch with us.

The next Government must commit to using research and innovation as the route to improving people’s lives and livelihoods in the UK

Investing in research and innovation helps us solve the problems facing people in the UK, and across the world. This investment improves people’s lives and livelihoods, creating new jobs and future industries, new educational opportunities, and the economic growth that will pay for our local and public services and strengthen our communities.

It supports people working in universities and businesses across the country, helping them tackle climate change, develop new medical treatments, and come up with energy-saving inventions.

CaSE calls on the next Government to commit to invest in Research and Innovation (R&I) for the long-term, support the skills the UK needs, maximise the local economic impact of that investment and support the environment for business R&I.

Commit to a long-term plan for investment in R&I

There should be continued long-term Government commitment to increase funding for R&I. A stable and predictable plan, supported by sustained investment, is vital to help research and innovation thrive in a way to drive economic growth and prosperity across the UK. It gives businesses confidence to keep on investing in R&I. In a globally competitive research landscape, the UK must look to secure its place among leading science nations. This includes securing full participation to Horizon Europe.

Support skills for science and engineering

The Government and devolved administrations must support the skills needed to deliver a more R&I-led UK. Wider skills provision is needed to meet the requirements of an R&I-led economy and ensure that everyone can participate in and benefit from a more innovative UK. This requires coordinating and supporting an integrated skills system, including science teaching in school, higher education and further education, and reskilling and upskilling the existing workforce. It is also critical that the immigration and visa system, and associated costs, do not act as a barrier to attracting international talent to the UK.

Build on regional R&I strengths

Maximise the local economic impact of greater R&I intensity across the UK. Investing in regional R&I can play a significant role in delivering a more research and innovation intensive UK and creating opportunities for new jobs and industries across all parts of the UK. Central and local government must work together to improve coordination between local needs and overarching national priorities for science and engineering.

Support business R&I investment

Make the UK an attractive and competitive environment for businesses to invest in R&I. Stable and predictable policy commitments are vital to give businesses the confidence to keep on investing in R&I. This needs to be accompanied by a robust framework of support and incentives for innovation.

CaSE at the 2023 Party Conferences

Science and technology soundbites from the 2023 Party conferences

31 Oct 2023

Ahead of an expected General Election next year, this year’s party conferences were particularly interesting. CaSE shares insights from the Conservative and Labour Party Conferences and some of the messages that emerged for research and innovation.