The Chancellor emphasised a strong commitment to research and innovation in the 2025 Spending Review today, confirming plans to spend £86 billion on the science and technology sector by the end of this Parliament, with £22 billion of annual research and development funding by 2029-30.
This represents a serious pledge to position science and innovation at the heart of the UK’s economic renewal and a commitment to shaping the future of society.
As innovation accelerates in new technologies, such as clean energy, quantum and AI, there are new ethical and social implications to consider. Working with the public is therefore vital and should be a key part of the research and innovation process. It will help to ensure new technologies are introduced more transparently, more inclusively and in ways that are most needed.
Sciencewise has helped government departments and research bodies to work meaningfully with the public for more than twenty years, on everything from climate change to data. We look forward to supporting Government priorities, and continuing to shape an innovation and research system that delivers key benefits for communities across the UK.
We will also be looking to see if there are insights we can pull out from previous dialogues relevant to new announcements.
