Report details action needed for UK to meet science superpower ambition

A new report showcases the business perspective on late-stage R&D and how to make the UK a more attractive environment for it, with recommendations for government to target, scale, strengthen and signal support for late-stage R&D in the UK.

The National Engineering Policy Centre report Late-stage R&D: business perspectives, offers ideas to fulfil the UK’s science superpower, innovation, growth and green industrial revolution ambitions. The UK government must make the UK a more attractive environment for businesses to invest and conduct late-stage R&D in. There is choice to be made – enable businesses to take bold risks here, or they will go elsewhere.

The report draws on interviews with those responsible for R&D decisions at 32 businesses across sectors and the UK, such as BAE Systems, BP, GKN Automotive; McLaren Applied Technologies, QinetiQ, Renishaw, Rolls Royce, Siemens, Spirit AeroSystems, Surrey Satellite, to illustrate how late-stage R&D is done and what government can do to encourage more late-stage R&D. Late-stage R&D delivers tradeable solutions and improvements, creates new markets and jobs, increases efficiency and improves productivity – bringing returns and socio-economic benefits to people in all parts of the UK.