Big increase in research funding promised for UK
Budget puts country on course to hit spending target early but Brexit threatens business contribution to R&D figure
The UK chancellor of the exchequer, Rishi Sunak, has announced a boost to public funding for research and development, leaving many researchers cautiously gratified by the development.
The budget plans, announced on 11 March, mean public R&D expenditure will increase to £22 billion by 2024–25, more than doubling the country’s current public spending. This is despite the UK government previously stating that it would increase public R&D funding to a lower figure of £18 billion by this date.