How do universities lead the world in research and innovation?

Government funding for university research is also a fantastic investment. It's world-leading and solves global challenges, from the climate emergency to infectious diseases.

of UK university activity was found to be world leading or internationally excellent in 2021

21k

active university spin-out companies, start-ups and social enterprises in 2021–22

96k

Businesses born at universities employed 96,000 people in 2021–22

Is UK university research world-leading?

In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, 84% of UK university activity was found to be world leading or internationally excellent.
UK research is consistently judged to be exceeding its high expectations. Measures of the academic impact of publications, ranked the UK as first among its G7 counterparts and higher than the OECD and EU totals.
The UK has the third largest share of the world’s publications, behind China and the US.

Publication

Research and innovation facts and figures: 2022

The UK's research is world-leading and internationally excellent. The latest data shows that universities are at the heart of research and innovation across the country.

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Does university research and innovation create a strong economy?

Investment in research and innovation delivers value for money, with proven returns on investment on public funding – every £1 of public R&D spending stimulates between £1.96 and £2.34 of private spending.
The UK ranks 4th in the Global Innovation Index, due in part to the strength of our universities.

Universities turn their research into new businesses. In 2021–22 more than 21,000 active spin-outs, start-ups and social enterprises emerged from UK universities. In the same period, businesses born at universities employed an estimated 96,000 people.
High-quality research is happening across the UK. More than 80% of research emerging from each region of the UK was rated at 3-star or above in REF2021.