Putting Universities at the heart of the Industrial Strategy
21 November 2016
The strength and success of our world-leading higher education, science and research base are key drivers of growth and productivity for the UK, and universities should be integral to the formulation of the new Industrial Strategy.
In addition to securing the best possible outcome for universities in the upcoming negotiations on our future relationship with the EU, domestic policy should be enhanced to maintain and develop the UK’s world-leading position in the global knowledge economy.
The Government can help us maximise our potential to contribute to an effective Industrial Strategy by:
- Investing for future growth by strengthening commitments to excellent research, producing a roadmap to increase public and private sector investment in R&D in the UK to 3% of GDP
- Ensuring high cost subjects such as STEM and medicine are properly resourced to underpin the pipeline for future jobs essential for the economy and society
- Leveraging our strengths in science and research by backing university-business collaboration and innovation – boosting HEIF and proof of concept funding, creating a new fund to back university and industry consortia approaches and using the tax system as a stimulus for investment
Using smart regulation to deliver productivity and ensure universities can continue to attract and retain the best talent: enhance postgraduate research training with funds from the apprenticeship levy, keep approaches to IP flexible for universities to make the best deals, and commit to policies that will enable us to secure the best EU and international talent for the future.
