UK Innovation Report 2023 launched

Delegates from across industry and government came to hear key findings of the UK Innovation Report launch on Thursday 23 March, at the Institute for Government.

The UK Innovation Report 2023, compiled by Cambridge Industrial Innovation Policy, brings together innovation and value-added indicators in a single resource. Among other analyses, the report looks at whether the UK is producing enough scientists and engineers and how innovation translates into internationally competitive industries and well-paid jobs.

It also provides deep dives into the food and drinks, and aerospace sectors, offering insights into the structure and performance of these UK industries.

Co-author Dr Carlos López-Gómez, from Cambridge Industrial Innovation Policy, said: “What the report does differently is to bring together multiple different sources of data on innovation – which are often only accessible to specialised audiences and challenging to navigate – in one centralised place.

“By curating these insights, the report provides an honest assessment of UK performance compared with key competitors. It’s designed to provide policymakers with the evidence needed to best promote innovation in industry.

“The report tries to bring attention to the interplay between these innovation inputs and the outcomes from an industrial perspective. This is because the value of our investment in science and technology can only be fully captured if it sustains a competitive and sustainable industry – one that provides well-paid jobs and helps address regional imbalances.”

“The report is, as always, fantastic – it’s my innovation data bible.”

Nina Gryf, Senior Policy Manager, Make UK. 

Lord David Sainsbury opened the event by showing how to achieve economic growth in the UK via manufacturing, followed by Carlos López-Gómez who presented some key findings of the report. An engaging panel (Aimie Stone – Chief Economist, ADS Group; Miles Gray – Aerospace Policy Lead at the Department of Business and Trade; Nina Gryf – Policy Manager, Make UK and Caroline Keohane – Head of Industry Growth, Food and Drink Federation) discussed the critical challenges of labour shortages and the importance of collaboration to solve the critical skills of productivity and net zero.

“The report contains an enormous amount of important information about the UK’s innovation approach, which is essential for the government to know in order to develop the policies necessary to speed up the innovation rate of UK industry sectors.”

Lord David Sainsbury, Chancellor of the University of Cambridge and former Minister of Science and Innovation. 

Highlights from the launch can be viewed below: