Research: Finance
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of regional disparities in access to research funding.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan
The government is ensuring that everyone benefits from innovation-led economic growth, by supporting clusters of R&D excellence across the UK. Historically, R&D intensity has been concentrated in the Greater South East of England, but this is changing and UK Research and Innovation invested 50% of its funding outside the Greater South East in 2023/24 – a cumulative additional £1.4 billion since 2021/22. UKRI funding in Northern Ireland has been increasing year on year in line with this wider trend.
We are building on this through the £500m Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, which is empowering local leaders in 17 regions to unleash their full innovation potential. This includes £30 million of funding for the Belfast to Derry-Londonderry Corridor.
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