UK R&D ‘not attracting as much foreign investment as it could’

NCUB says coordination to pool skills across sectors could help attract foreign investment

The UK must not be “complacent” about current levels of foreign investment in research and development, as some areas of the country have the potential to draw in more, according to an analysis by the National Centre for Universities and Business.

International investment is “important” for R&D and the UK’s “science superpower” ambition, says the NCUB report, published today. And in 2021, overseas firms’ expenditure on R&D totalled £16.4 billion—roughly a third of the £46.9bn invested by businesses as a whole in the UK.