New study reveals a North/South divide in life science investment

The North of England receives less than half the life science investment made in the South, according to a new study.

The study by the IPPR think tank warns that overall, the North of England receives £4bn less investmentper year in health research and development (R&D) than the South.

According to the IPPR, the North receives just £72 of health R&D investment per person, compared to £168 in the South.

And investment by government totals just £22 per person in the North, compared to the £56 per person invested in the South of England.

In the Midlands, the report adds it is as low as £16.

The report, The Science Based Economy, argues this inequality is incompatible with government recent commitment to ‘build, build, build’ and to level up the UK economy.

It calls on the government to set an investment target of £14.5bn per year for the life sciences – from public, private and charity sources combined – alongside a new strategy to attract private investment to the UK: by improving social and physical infrastructure; expanding access to capital; and supporting the UK’s world-leading academic infrastructure.

And it recommended the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) body be reformed to ensure more public funding flows beyond the South to other regions, including the North.

This should be combined with devolution of decision-making to cities and regions that demonstrate the capacity to manage their own R&D funding, and a process to build capacity in those that need more support.

‘Outside London and the South, the UK life science sector has huge potential. Yet, that potential is being limited by a serious inequality in R&D investment,’ said IPPR health fellow and lead author, Chris Thomas.

‘If the government is serious about making the UK a ‘science superpower’ it will need to invest in the whole country and support regions like the North to develop their own industrial strategies, in a more devolved way, to fulfil their potential.

‘The benefits would be substantial. A more diverse and regionally equal approach to R&D would boost productivity; support a more equal economic recovery from Covid-19; and help build UK resilience to future health shocks,’ he added.

Photo Credit – Geralt (Pixabay)