Government must double R&D spending, says report

Science funding has been frozen since 2010, the Science and Technology Select Committee report says

The Science and Technology Select Committee has called on the government to produce a 'roadmap' for increasing public and private sector science R&D investment in the UK to 3% of GDP, a target agreed by European Union countries.

The committee's report on the science budget points out that since 2010, science funding has been frozen, which has effectively meant a cut of about 6%.

"This has left the UK spending 1.7% of GDP on science and research, below the OECD average of 2.4% and behind the 2.8% and 2.9% spent by the US and Germany," said the report.

The committee also highlights a mismatch between money spent on building and improving laboratories and resource spending, which covers the funding of scientists.

The report recommends that the government should prioritise consolidating and establishing existing Catapults rather than expanding the network. “Commitments to expanding the catapult networks should not come at the expense of other innovation parties,” the report warned.

In response, Lee Hopley, chief economist at EEF, said: "The committee’s recommendations – which include a call for a long-term upwards trajectory for science and innovation spending – are absolutely in line with what industry wants to see for science and innovation. The government should take these recommendations forward in the upcoming Spending Review."