Five ideas on R&D for Labour to adopt before the election

The polls show that Labour is likely to form the next government.

Labour has been consistently ahead in voting intention, Starmer is eight points ahead in polling on best prime minister, and Labour is currently more trusted on the economy than the Conservatives.

As the idea of government weighs heavier on the party’s shoulders, the expectation will grow that the party will tell the public more about its policy platform.

Labour in power

Labour is eventually going to have to decide its detailed research and development policy. It is unlikely to do so whilst the country is still a year away from an election. However, while the Labour Party is still looking for ideas, we have been at its party conference talking to whoever would listen on some ideas they can steal.

Number one, bold, underlined, and with emphasis, is that the university sector and the country is crying out for infrastructure investment. Holding back capacity in R&D is the distance between major clusters of innovation rendered artificially large by poor transport links and the lack of lab space across the country. Alongside an ambitious programme of digital infrastructure, there is the opportunity to make regional strengths even stronger while playing into complementary geographies.

The promise of infrastructure draws in the opportunity of place. Universities are often the major economic drivers of the regions, but the ways in which universities attract international investment and turn that into local benefit is poorly understood. Squaring the policies of economic security as championed by Rachel Reeves runs through universities as international partners tied to their places. Any global economic ambitions should include universities at their heart - including placing universities at the centre of investment zones and similar projects.

Reeves used the word “security” more than 25 times in her conference speech to cover everything from national security to family finances. In the context of universities, security and internationalisation, Labour should consider the sector’s role in projecting soft power across the world. This is partially about the government playing an active role in joining up supply side investment from universities, government and public funding, into projects with international potential such as new institutes and new research clusters. It is also about a public narrative that recognises that R&D activity is produced, incubated or otherwise supported by a university sector which is genuinely world leading

And for a final two, it’s important that Labour remembers the people at the heart of the R&D ecosystem. A development and expansion of the visa system to attract the globe's most talented scientists could be coupled with domestic reform on the opportunities, funding, and development for technical staff. A sort of dual approach to growing, attracting and retaining talent in the global R&D ecosystem.

The choices ahead

It would be politically difficult for Labour to reduce R&D spending - but should they be elected they will nonetheless continue to highlight wider public spending constraints.

The fiscal challenge is making the kind of patient and expensive long term commitments that R&D needs against other pressing revenue concerns. Aside from any wider R&D reform, new plans or global ambitions, a few priorities well funded over a number of years would be welcome news for a sector that has got used to significant churn.

All of this comes before any discussion of what might be continued from what is undoubtedly an impressive record of government spending in R&D, an ongoing negotiation with Europe and making the most of Horizon, what to retain of levelling up, what to do about the measurement and incentivisation of research performance, and the small issue of contributing to the pressing issues of humankind through the UK’s R&D strengths.

There is no doubt that R&D policy more generally is continually moving toward the demonstration of impact. The key questions for universities is how they can continually demonstrate that the investment of public funding is not only producing brilliant research, but realising wider positive impact.

If the last few years have demonstrated anything it’s that there are no political certainties. But there is a policy opportunity for any government which can find a few priorities, marshall wider policy and investment behind them, and stick to a single plan over a long time horizon that encompasses universities' role within the world.