Scotland has claimed 58% less government innovation funding than some parts of the UK.
Analysis of Innovate UK data and business population estimates from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, by innovation funding firm Catax, show that £12.3bn of grants have been awarded by the government innovation agency since 2003.
Over that timeframe, Scotland has benefitted to a greater extent than all regions of the UK, except the north east, west midlands and London, once adjusted for business population.
Businesses in Scotland received awards equivalent to £2,704 each, 58.4% less than the north east of England, but slightly higher than the national average of £2,563.
Businesses in the north east have received awards equivalent to £6,504 per business, but Scotland receives a far greater share of Innovate UK awards than both Wales (£1,623) and Northern Ireland (£1,465).
Applicants in Scotland have been awarded £836m in total.
The University of Strathclyde has been offered the biggest grant award in Scotland over the last five years. The £94m funding went towards the Advanced Forming Research Centre aimed at growing UK manufacturing.
Three highest grant awards in Scotland in the past five years
Grant recipient |
Location |
Award offered |
Description |
University of Strathclyde |
Glasgow |
£94,042,000 |
For the Advanced Forming Research Centre |
University of Glasgow |
Glasgow |
£31,762,721 |
For the Living Laboratory |
University of Edinburgh |
Edinburgh |
£22,523,102 |
To establish the Global Open Finance Centre of Excellence |
Karen Taylor, group head of grants at Catax, comments: “Scottish businesses are making good use of government innovation grants compared to the UK average and this all bodes well for the research and development.
“It suggests that the message about the availability of grant funding has really got through in Scotland.
“This is what we need more of in the rest of the country - levelling up only comes through mass adoption of this kind of innovation funding.”
ALL YEARS |
|||
Region |
No. of Businesses |
Total Grant Awards |
Equivalent Grant Award per Business |
North East |
132,220 |
£859,986,288 |
£6,504 |
West Midlands |
373,840 |
£1,473,444,784 |
£3,941 |
London |
817,900 |
£2,560,463,611 |
£3,131 |
Scotland |
309,100 |
£835,779,637 |
£2,704 |
South West |
460,760 |
£1,233,309,218 |
£2,677 |
South East |
777,820 |
£2,014,084,747 |
£2,589 |
Yorkshire and the Humber |
342,200 |
£754,227,131 |
£2,204 |
East Midlands |
316,900 |
£660,542,048 |
£2,084 |
East of England |
499,800 |
£960,702,163 |
£1,922 |
Wales |
196,880 |
£319,441,097 |
£1,623 |
Northern Ireland |
117,060 |
£171,495,283 |
£1,465 |
North West |
465,640 |
£483,602,376 |
£1,039 |
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