【剑桥工业创新政策与制造研究所】英文英国创新报告_2025_72页_1mb

报告摘要

UK Innovation Report 2025 - Summary Analysis

Theme 1: Structure and Performance of the UK Economy

Key Findings

Economic Shift Away from Manufacturing:
- UK manufacturing share of GDP dropped from 14.8% in 2000 to 9.1% in 2023.
- Despite decline, manufacturing remains the second-largest sector by value added and largest contributor to capital investment.
- Food products is largest employer but least export-oriented; automotive and machinery are high contributors to exports.
Advanced Manufacturing:
- High productivity but faces structural challenges including costs and skills shortages compared to the rest of manufacturing.
Sectoral Trends:
- Growth concentrated in services.
- Advanced manufacturing sectors (15 of 25) generated about half of total manufacturing value added.
Indirect Economic Impact:
- Manufacturing accounts for approximately 15% of UK economy when including supply chain effects.

Theme 2: Investment in Innovation

Key Findings

R&D Expenditure:
2.77% of GDP remains above OECD average but below global leaders like Korea, USA, and Germany.
Government Support:
- R&D tax relief is primary mechanism (0.33% GDP), while direct funding is only 0.15% of GDP, still higher than most OECD peers.
- UK has highest total government support for business R&D as % of GDP among OECD countries.
Corporate R&D:
- Top 2,000 R&D investing companies: UK ranked 5th in number of companies and 7th in total investment; 63 companies in 2023 vs 118 in 2013.
- R&D focus on health and finance sectors, lagging in ICT and automotive.
Technological Leadership:
- UK ranked 6th in patent applications for critical technologies (AI, quantum tech, etc.), behind leaders like China and USA.

Theme 3: Industrial Performance — International Comparison

Key Findings

Global Position Decline:
- G7 manufacturing share of global value added fell from 56% in 2000 to 33% in 2022; UK share dropped from 3.1% to 1.9%.
- UK competitiveness declined significantly in high-value-added industries.
Sectoral Competitiveness:
- Automotive stands out as fastest-growing sector (72% value-added increase between 2010 and 2022).
- Growth varies by industry, with China showing exceptional export growth in most selected sectors.
Advanced Industrial Performance:
- Revealed comparative advantage: UK increased specialization only in two advanced industries (automotive and information services).
- Specialisation declined from 2% in pharmaceuticals to -45% in basic metals.

Theme 4: Science and Engineering Workforce

Key Findings

Skills Mismatch:
- 37% of UK workers see qualification as above required level (higher than OECD average 23%).
- 34% think they are over-skilled (vs. 26% OECD average).
STEM Education:
- High tertiary education attainment (60% of 25–34-year-olds vs. 48% OECD average).
- Low vocational education rate (22% vs. 31% OECD average).
STEM Workforce:
- 9.4 million STEM workers in 2023.
- Growth projected between 6% and 10% by 2030 due to technological progress.

Theme 5: Net-Zero Innovation

Key Findings

GHG Emissions:
- UK has decoupled GDP growth from territorial GHG emissions (52% reduction since 1990).
- Industrial emissions remain key, with coal phase-out (2013-23) and reduced oil use (57MT reduction).
Low-Carbon R&D:
- Public R&D spend on low-carbon/renewable tech: US$1.8B in 2023 (4th globally).
- Top focus: Nuclear power (highest spend among low-carbon technologies), energy efficiency, renewables.
Patent Activity:
- UK ranked 7th in environment-related patents (101,999 between 2010–21).
- High specialisation in offshore wind, nuclear, and greener vehicles.

Contributors:

Jennifer Cañadas-Navarrete et al.
Copy-editing: Elizabeth Tofaris, Amanda George
Design: Ella Whellams, Deborah Hardward

Disclaimer:

“Names of countries and territories follow widely accepted conventions and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the authors.”