Responding to announcements set out in the government’s June 2025 Spending Review, University Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson said:
“I’m really pleased that the Chancellor has recognised the clear links between innovation and growth in this spending review. The £86 billion R&D funding package is a welcome endorsement of our research and university sector, and we are excited by the potential this investment has to unlock the power of new technologies and ideas to drive our economy forward. University Alliance and our member universities stand ready to use our significant innovation strengths to capitalise on this investment.
We need to ensure that every region and community can benefit from the economic rewards that can be generated by research and new ideas. That means support needs to be provided to help small and medium businesses to innovate and adopt new technologies and that research and development funding needs to be spread across the country, across a range of different growth driving sectors and across a range of universities. I’m pleased that the Chancellor specifically mentioned support for SMEs and new startups today and we will work with government to ensure that the industrial strategy makes the most of investment in R&D to drive innovation where it can have the most impact.
Of course, as the organisations that underpin much of the country’s growth-driving R&D, universities must be on a sustainable financial footing, and we will continue to work closely with the Department for Education to ensure that is the case.”
