Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much science funding was spent on projects located outside of the South East in this financial year; and whether her Department will take steps to increase the proportion of science funding spent outside the South East over the next five years.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is working with Government departments to collect and publish data on publicly funded R&D expenditure by region. Data for this financial year is not currently available, and there will be a time lag before it can be published. Data for 2020-21 is scheduled to be published in April 2023.

The Government has pledged to increase domestic public investment in R&D outside the Greater South East by at least 40% by 2030, and by at least a third by 2024-5.