IOP responds to spending allocations for Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Speaking today following the release of the 2025-26 spending allocations for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), the chief executive of the IOP group, Tom Grinyer, said: “At a time of economic challenge and uncertainty the announcement of similar funding to last year for DSIT for 25-26 is as positive an outcome as we could have expected.

“It’s good to see funding included for UK participation in Horizon Europe and our space programmes but there are challenges in some of the detail.

“A tight settlement like this means funding councils will be affected in different ways and we know this will mean that difficult choices affecting key investment in research and infrastructure will need to be made.

“However it remains the case that research and development (R&D) is the engine of a thriving modern economy and society – it boosts business productivity, creates high-value jobs, unlocks technological advancements and powers the journey towards a green economy.

“We urge the Chancellor to now use the opportunity of June’s Spending Review to set out a bold, long-term plan for a world-class R&D system fuelled by increasing levels of investment and to start to develop and implement a decade-long strategic plan for the physical sciences, to match the government’s decade-long industrial strategy.”