Research & Innovation

The UK has a world-leading academic research base and universities full of invention and new ideas. For many businesses in the UK, harnessing the power of research and innovation is critical to their future success.

Advances in how science, technology and innovations are harnessed, applied and fused together will define the future in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The world faces broader environmental and societal changes that present both challenges and commercial opportunity. From tackling climate change to supporting an ageing society to confronting Covid-19, there is an opportunity to harness the power of new ideas, new approaches and new products and services.

Increasingly, innovations will be delivered through interdisciplinary approaches that require collaboration across industries and expertise from the arts and social sciences through to science and engineering.

Our research and innovation projects explore how the UK’s ambitions for a more research-intensive society and innovation-led economy can be delivered through greater collaboration between industry and academia.

Our Areas of Focus

R&D Taskforce

The UK Government has placed R&D and innovation at the heart of its Plan for Growth and its global ambitions. Collaboration between universities and businesses are central to achieving its aspirations.

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Joined up business focussed offer

Research and innovation are affected by many different factors – from the availability of skills, datasets, buildings and laboratories, to regulation, tax and funding. The UK needs a combined offer to drive business investment in R&D.

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Global collaboration

The UK competes for R&D investment in a global market – some 58% of private R&D investment comes from overseas companies. To achieve the Government’s aspirations for research, the UK will need to attract greater investment from and partnerships with multinational firms.

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Impact of Covid-19

There is growing evidence that Covid-19 has impacted business innovation activities and on the ability of universities to contribute to innovation.

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Enhancing Knowledge Exchange

Knowledge Exchange (KE) is at the heart of university-business collaboration. Through KE, academic ideas and research are shared and external perspectives and experiences are contributed. The KE process both maximises the impact of academic work and enhances it through exposure to new sources of information.

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Research & innovation

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