Exploring the Link between Publicly Funded R&D Collaborations and Regional Technological Development (FFCoE005)

Project overview

This project aims to provide novel evidence on the role played by public R&D grants in supporting regional technological development, reflecting the diffusion of knowledge and the branching into new technological specialisations across regions.

The project will match data on UKRI funded collaborative R&D and innovation projects with measures of technological innovation output, proxied by patent data, using machine learning techniques. First, we will estimate the direct effects of public R&D funding in supporting regional technological development. Secondly, we will identify indirect effects generated by collaborative networks, which are stimulated by exchange of knowledge between a wider set of partners, including private businesses and public research institutions located in different regions of the UK.

Findings from the study will provide important insights for innovation policies to support a more equal diffusion of innovation and spur long-term development across regions.

Project showcase

4 IRC projects were selected to capture their aims in a few bullet points which were then presented in a banner and showcased during the IRC event Place Matters: Unlocking Growth through Research and Innovation. An event which took place on October 9th, 2025, at The Shard, London.

Below is the banner created for this project.