Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support investment in science research at universities within (a) West Sussex and (b) the South East.

The Government is fully committed to maintaining the UK’s world-leading science, research and higher education base.

According to Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data, the University of Chichester in West Sussex received public research funding, from Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Research Councils, of £802,000 in 2015/16. HESA data shows that 19 institutions in the South East, which includes the universities of Oxford, Southampton and Reading, but excludes London, received a total of £544 million of public research funding in 2015/16.

The Autumn Statement 2016 announcement of an extra £2 billion a year in research and development by 2020- 21 underlines the place of science and innovation at the heart of this Government’s industrial strategy.