Royal Society responds to the 2020 Budget announcement

Responding to today’s Budget announcement, Venki Ramakrishnan, President of the Royal Society, said:

“The significant increase in research and development investment, raised to £22bn in today’s budget, shows the Government understands just how important science is for the whole of the UK to prosper. What’s good for science is good for us all.

“The Chancellor is right to restate that the UK is the nation of Newton, Hodgkin and Turing, and the birthplace of inventions that have defined the modern age. The £800m commitment to ARPA demonstrates this government is embracing opportunities to try new things. We must also continue to build on our great strengths in the basic research that feeds the innovation of the future and will ensure the UK maintains its status as a global science leader.

“As the host of COP26 this is a big year for the UK to lead the way in tackling climate change. The investment in green transport, energy innovation, environmental protection and new technologies is a welcome first step to meeting our commitments to “net zero” by 2050, and increasing the resilience of our natural environment.

“We look forward to further clarity in the Spending Review on how this new investment is allocated across the UK’s research and innovation landscape.”