University-driven International R&I Generating Economic Value to the UK

Commissioned by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and supported by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) in defining the research scope and reviewing outputs, this report examines how UK university-led international research and innovation (R&I) generates distinctive economic value for the UK.

Drawing on evidence from successful international collaborations, the report identifies five pathways to value: generating globally distinctive knowledge, developing world-class talent, creating UK jobs, improving industry and policy operations, and accelerating commercialisation through access to global resources, markets and testbeds.

The report finds that these benefits do not arise automatically. International collaborations generate stronger economic value when they are anchored in UK needs, involve UK businesses, practitioners and adopters, establish clear intellectual property and commercialisation pathways, and include UK-based trials, demonstrations and diffusion activities. The findings also highlight the importance of sustained funding across the full, iterative innovation pathway; effective institutional and technology-transfer support; internationally experienced research leadership; and mechanisms that bring globally developed knowledge and skills back into UK organisations.

Read the full report to explore how UK university-driven international R&I generates distinctive economic value for the UK, the factors that enable or constrain value creation and capture, and the implications for policy.

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