UK can’t afford to let business research wither

Underfunding threatens work needed to boost recovery and resilience, says Zahir Irani

Over the past 10 years, UK public funding for business and management research has dropped in real terms by around a third.

This is primarily a consequence of an increased government focus on science and technology. Just this year, we have had the announcement of the Office for Science and Technology Strategy and plans for the Advanced Research and Invention Agency as further steps towards the government’s bid to make the UK a ‘science superpower’.