Boosting biological science
26 May 2025
With the Government’s latest Spending Review due in June, the RSB has submitted recommendations to help the bioscience sector deliver for society and the economy
Last year’s Autumn Budget and Spending Review contained a series of science-friendly announcements welcomed by the Society. This included the overall investment of £20.4bn in research and development (R&D) in 2025–2026, and a rise in the Department for Science Innovation and Technology’s R&D budget to £13.9bn from £13.3bn in 2024–2025. Within this is around £8.8bn in funding for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the costs of association with Horizon Europe.
In June ‘Phase 2’ of the Spending Review will be presented to the House of Commons by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, setting departmental budgets until 2028–2029 for day-to-day spending and until 2029–2030 for Capital. Yet the fiscal context has become far more challenging since that Autumn Budget, according to the latest Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts published in March.
Ahead of Phase 2, the Society has submitted recommendations aiming to inform these multi-year budget allocations to support the delivery of the Government’s missions. These were developed in close collaboration with the RSB community and organisations across the research and innovation sector to reflect a consensus on key priorities for the sector to benefit UK society and the economy.
The Society’s submission calls on the Government to maximise the benefits of the life sciences sector by unlocking sustainable economic growth and addressing education and skills challenges through long-term investment in research, development and innovation (RDI); people; and infrastructure.
Radical RDI
After demonstrating the various contributions of the life sciences sector, the RSB’s well-evidenced document highlights the need for the Government to support the full breadth of the bioeconomy, prioritise sector-driven discovery research alongside mission-led translational RDI to stimulate further private sector investment, develop long-term funding cycles to deliver the best outcomes, and appropriately fund the full economic cost of research activities. We also call for support for universities in the short term, with long-term reform required to help them achieve the financial sustainability and investment to address regional disparities.
The second part of the recommendations focuses on the necessity to address education and skills provision challenges. With science, technology, engineering and mathematics employment projected to grow by 4% by 2030, and the emergence of new technologies such as AI, it is crucial to seize the opportunity to equip the workforce with the skills and qualifications to keep pace.
The RSB calls for strategic investment in subject-specific science education and continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers to provide better-quality specialist teaching, but also for Skills England to be resourced to deliver an accurate, national, cross-sector assessment of key skills shortages. In line with other organisations, the Society has also underlined the importance of having an immigration policy to attract international talent.
Ahead of the Chancellor’s announcements, expected on 11th June, the Society will engage with various stakeholders to identify opportunities for joint advocacy in the hope of securing a positive and encouraging outcome for the R&D budget. Visit rsb.org.uk following the Chancellor’s speech for our evaluation of what it means for the years ahead in UK science.
Sabrina Fleurimé MRSB is science policy officer at the RSB with a focus on the research landscape in the biosciences.
