Greene: Scotland is lagging behind in research and development investment

Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesperson Jamie Greene MSP has today highlighted new figures showing that Scotland is not keeping pace with the rest of the UK in investment in research and development.

New figures show that in 2023:

• The amount invested by businesses in Scotland in research and development as a share of GDP was estimated to be 1.34%, compared to 1.82% for the UK as a whole, and lagging behind the EU and OECD.
• Business enterprise R&D expenditure fell in Scotland by 6.6% in real terms between 2022 and 2023, compared to a reduction of 3.1% for the UK as a whole.
• The amount invested by Scotland’s higher education sector in research and development was 0.97% (compared to 0.62% for the UK as a whole).
• However, this investment fell in real-terms in Scotland by 1.6% in 2023, compared to a fall of 0.8% for the UK as a whole.

Jamie Greene said:

“A key part of growing our economy is helping businesses invest in research and development, but right now too many are being held back by an environment of uncertainty.

“Our universities are world-class and they continue to punch above their weight. However,  they are facing strong headwinds, staff are worried about cuts and the model of relying on income from international students has been exposed.

“If we are to get the Scottish economy growing and secure a thriving future for our higher education sector, we need to get these numbers up. A vote for the Scottish Liberal Democrats next May is a vote to tear down barriers to investment, support innovation and get Scottish education and research back to its best.”