Interconnected Innovation: Physical connectivity as the missing ingredient in UK research and innovation policy

A new HEPI Report published today says transport connectivity should play a greater role in how the UK assesses research investment.

World‑class research capabilities exist across the whole UK, yet poor physical connectivity means they rarely function as a national system. Transport infrastructure can drive measurable innovation gains, with one study even showing that linking two cities with cost-effective flights can increase scientific collaboration by 30 to 50 per cent. Current innovation and growth strategies tend to ignore this. 

Interconnected Innovation: Physical connectivity as the missing ingredient in UK research and innovation policy (HEPI Report 202) by Professor Geraint Rees (UCL’s Vice Provost for Research, Innovation and Global Engagement) and Sarah Chaytor (UCL’s Director of Strategy and Policy) argues that the UK’s compact geography is a great asset, but also that the current prioritisation of place and regional spend limits the potential benefits.

The paper’s four key recommendations are:

1. research investment should be assessed for both individual excellence and contribution to the national ecosystem;

2. research funders should prioritise investment in assets but also in the connective tissues – networks, platforms, shared infrastructure and mobility schemes – that support connected capabilities;

3. infrastructure decisions should reflect research and innovation impacts; and

4. place-based funding should incentivise connection rather than self-sufficiency. 

An approach based on improving connectivity could shift policy debates away from zero-sum choices around the concentration and distribution of research funding. Better alignment of research and innovation policy with decisions on transport, digital and capital infrastructure would instead encourage different places to work together.

The paper concludes: ‘If the UK is serious about strategic research investment, it must be equally serious about the physical connectivity that makes national collaboration possible.’

Professor Geraint Rees, UCL’s Vice Provost for Research, Innovation and Global Engagement and the co-author of the report, said:

The UK is missing considerable opportunities to capitalise on our research and innovation strength through deploying greater connectivity as a tool which can drive innovation while attracting inward investment. This is a serious oversight,  and one the UK cannot afford to maintain.

Sarah Chaytor, UCL’s Director of Strategy and Policy and the other co-author of the report, said:

The UK has historically used competition between institutions and regions to drive research excellence to great effect. It is now time for us to think seriously about how we enable collaboration across the country to drive greater strategic coherence and to ensure that we are maximising the potential of our entire research and innovation ecosystem.

Nick Hillman, the Chief Executive of HEPI, said:

If we were to join up thinking on research, infrastructure and economic growth, there could be huge compound benefits. At the moment, we keep dropping the ball. To take one striking example, the plan to link Oxford and Cambridge via East-West Rail was signed off 15 years ago. Building started six years ago and the section from Oxford to Milton Keynes was completed two years ago. Yet there are still no passenger trains whatsoever on the line. The UK has enormous advantages but needs clearer strategic thinking to connect them up better.

Reports:

Read the full report (PDF)

Notes to editors

The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) is the UK’s only independent think tank devoted to higher education. HEPI aims to improve the quality of debate about higher education policy in the UK.