Slowing investment will make science superpower status less likely, says AIRTO is an opinion piece featured in the latest issue of Research Fortnight.

The budget was a chance to begin implementing the government’s Innovation Strategy. Launching the strategy in July, the government signalled its intention to place science, technology and innovation at the heart of the recovery from the pandemic by supporting the UK’s innovation capabilities.

At the time, the strategy was welcomed as a progressive move to deliver on the government’s stated goal of the UK becoming a “global hub for innovation by 2035”. The strategy will also be an integral part of the pandemic recovery plan, recognising that challenges and opportunities identified in the 2017 Industrial Strategy remain.

Instead of pushing on, however, the government has taken its foot off the accelerator. The 2020 target of lifting public spending on R&D to £22bn per annum by 2024-25—a significant increase from the current level of £14.9bn—has been readjusted to £20bn…Read more