‘Intangible’ benefits of university research ‘must be cherished’

The new Labour government has been urged to consider the immense “intangible” benefits of UK university research – such as how it can help local businesses to attract talent and investment.

In a report by the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) published on 17 July, the science advocacy group draws attention to what it believes are many of the overlooked benefits of university research and development, noting that these could be damaged by the financial pressures faced by the sector.

These “intangible” benefits include how universities provide local businesses with access to expensive research equipment “not easily affordable by businesses, particularly small start-ups and scale-ups”.

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“In recent years, there has also been a scaling down of R&D capability within some larger businesses, creating a growing need for access to university facilities and equipment to support business R&D,” it says, adding that there is “a crucial role for universities in…maintaining bespoke facilities and equipment that draw in new companies”.

Universities also act as a “convener” for different businesses to come together and cooperate rather than compete, the report adds.

“The neutrality of universities can be a further asset to industry research, through their capacity to corroborate research without commercial conflict of interest constraints,” it explains.

The cultural, civic and economic impact of university R&D should also not be ignored, the paper adds, noting that the £5.6 billion a year invested directly from university coffers into research has a huge impact on local communities.

“The UK risks losing these local, societal benefits if it loses its university-led R&D,” CaSE says.

“These benefits are not always accompanied with clear and direct financial returns, nor are their impacts easily measurable in the short term, if at all. However, these local benefits indirectly support the research system in the form of societal improvements such as improved health, education and wellbeing of the population,” the report says.

Calling for more support for university R&D, the report adds that “interventions must go beyond simply addressing falling international student numbers, with a holistic review of the funding mechanisms for university-led R&D (and universities more broadly) urgently needed to increase ‘end-to-end’ coverage of the costs of research activity”.

“To deliver their role in the R&D ecosystem effectively, universities and university-affiliated research institutes must be supported to achieve a sustainable financial model across both their teaching and research activities,” it adds.

Speaking to Times Higher Education, CaSE’s new executive director, Alicia Greated, said the report aimed to highlight the “civic role” played by university research that was not replicated by private bodies or charities.

“University research does things that other actors in the R&D ecosystem cannot – if you take universities out of the system, other things start to fall over,” said Dr Greated.

“For instance, when small companies work with their local university, it often allows them to leverage this into something much more – they can use these partnerships to get more investment. In some ways, it’s almost like a kitemark of quality.

“These are some of the reasons why university R&D is so cherished across the sector, and we wanted to highlight some of its more intangible benefits.”

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com