Data just released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows expenditure on research and development (R&D) in 2022 of £70.7 billion in the UK – this is an increase of +6.7% in current prices over 2021, but all of this is taken up by inflation and in constant prices, there was a fall of -0.1%.
There are two ways to look at this data – by the sector that funds it or where the work is carried out. In terms of funding, the business sector (as opposed to the government, education or non-profit sectors) accounted for just under 62% of the funding; however, this sector performed just over 70% of the R&D.
There is no breakdown in this release by industry sector, but there is a regional breakdown of the data by sector of performance. Within the UK total, England accounted for 89% of total spending, with 62% of this (so 55% of the UK total) being in just three regions – East of England, London and the South-East).
There are more details in the ONS Statistical Bulletin and data sets which can be downloaded from their website at https://www.ons.gov.uk/releasecalendar (08 August) or on request from MTA.