The British Academy welcomes “bold commitment” to research in Budget Statement

The British Academy welcomed today's Budget Statement, in which the Government announced it will more than double public investment in research and development and create a new ARPA-style innovation centre.

Hetan Shah, Chief Executive of the British Academy, said:

“Research and ideas are a global currency and a great source of soft power and influence for the United Kingdom. Insights from the humanities and social sciences help us to shape our future: driving productivity, raising living standards and tackling the most significant challenges we face today. This bold commitment to investment in R&D signals that our position of world leadership in research and innovation will continue to be a central pillar of our relationship with our global partners.

“The announcement of an ARPA-style blue-skies thinking centre is a reflection of the importance of R&D in meeting society’s needs and building effective strategies to tackle global challenges on a societal scale. This centre will be involved in developing and designing innovations that have high levels of risk of failure, yet the potential rewards are huge, so having a clear sense of purpose for it will be critical for its success and public support. There is no shortage of clear reminders of what a strong commitment to R&D can achieve; the COP26 conference later this year, for example, is a chance to galvanise a practical and effective response to climate change from the global community.”