CaSE sets out plan for 2.4 per cent R&D target

The government must treble its R&D spending commitments if the UK is to meet the ambitious goal of spending 2.4 per cent of GDP on research, the Campaign for Science and Engineering has said.

In a report published on 29 May, CaSE updated its 2018 models using the most recent GDP forecasts. It said the government will have to commit an additional £20.2 billion over the next five years to meet the R&D spending target. This is roughly three times the funding that the government has already committed, CaSE said.

“Investing in the academic science base and maintaining its unique breadth, that’s really important because not only is that going to better develop publicly funded science but it is a major attractor for global R&D investment and global talent,” CaSE’s executive director Sarah Main told Research Fortnight.