£86bn science and tech boost to ‘renew’ Britain
10 June 2025
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From AI breakthroughs to longer-lasting batteries, the Government says its Modern Industrial Strategy will generate billions for the UK economy.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves will announce a transformative £86 billion in the Spending Review to turbo-charge our fastest-growing sectors, from tech and life sciences, to advanced manufacturing and defence, as part of the Government’s plan to invest in Britain’s renewal through its Modern Industrial Strategy.
From exploring new drug treatments and longer-lasting batteries, to new AI breakthroughs, the Government claims that the package will drive new jobs and economic growth as well as ensuring the UK leads the way in pioneering the technologies of the future.
It comes ahead of the Spending Review, where the Chancellor will set out how the government will invest in Britain’s renewal by investing in the people’s priorities: health, security and the economy.
The Chancellor will outline this Government’s laser focus on investing in Britain’s renewal through projects that will bring jobs and prosperity, putting more money in working people’s pockets.
The new R&D package will mean local leaders have government backing to develop ‘innovation clusters’ across the country, to unlock the talent and opportunity in every region and nation.
It is those with skin in the game who know what is best for their region, the Government says. That’s why, through the new Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, local leaders will be given the power to decide how to target their research investment in the region and make the most of the skill sets of the community, boosting high-skilled jobs and igniting growth across the country.
According to the Government, the package will see every corner of the country benefit. In Liverpool, that means leveraging its expertise in life sciences to accelerate drug discovery, in Northern Ireland that means harnessing its reputation for cutting-edge defence equipment to shore up our national security. In South Wales, it means boosting expertise in designing semiconductors that power the devices like mobile phones and electric cars we rely on every day to support growth and new jobs in those regions.
The new funding will build on work already underway to transform local communities through the Innovation Accelerator pilot scheme – a new funding approach and partnership between local authorities and the Government.
It has supported new technology developed by the Greater Manchester advanced diagnostic accelerator, delivering quicker and cheaper detection for liver, heart and lung diseases, whilst Moonbility from the West Midlands is using AI software to help train companies to simulate, in real time, potential disruption to the network so they can alert passengers on delay length, giving advice on replanning journeys.
“Every £1 invested in R&D generates up to £7 in benefits to the UK economy and leverages double in private investment in the long run, with businesses that receive their first R&D grant funding seeing jobs and turnover go up by over 20 percent in the following years,” the Government says.
R&D is also at the heart of around three million jobs in the UK, with the power to create many more as discoveries advance.
The announcement comes ahead of London Tech Week, the UK’s flagship technology festival, with more expected in the coming days.
Science and Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle, said: “R&D is the very foundation of the breakthroughs that make our lives easier and healthier – from new medicines enabling us to live longer, more fulfilled lives to developments in AI giving us time back, from easing our train journeys through to creating the technology we need to protect our planet from climate change.
“Incredible and ambitious research goes on in every corner of our country, from Liverpool to Inverness, Swansea to Belfast, which is why empowering regions to harness local expertise and skills for all of our benefit is at the heart of this new funding – helping to deliver the economic growth at the centre of our Plan for Change.”
Alongside this, nearly £5 million is being invested to kickstart a new partnership between the high-growth regions of Manchester and Cambridge, strengthening the link between these hubs of innovation to attract more business investment, and pilot new approaches to collaboration, setting examples for cities, universities and governments worldwide.