UK R&D Scoreboard and EU Innovation Scoreboards published

The 2008 DIUS R&D Scoreboard, which is endorsed by the R&D Society, published on 26 January 2009, reports on the patterns and trends of the 850 largest corporate spenders of R&D in the UK and the 1,400 companies in the world most active in R&D, based on R&D expenditure reported in company accounts.

The Scoreboard reports that the 850 top-spending UK firms spent £21.6 billion on R&D - a rise of 6.4 per cent on the previous scoreboard. The 1,400 companies in the world that spent the most on R&D increased their expenditure by 9.4% to £274 billion. 79% of this expenditure was by companies based in the USA, Japan, Germany, France and the UK. The figures were for the financial year before the current recession. The R&D Society has commented on the publication of the Scoreboard, urging the Government to maintain and improve their efforts to support UK R&D.

The EU Innovation Scoreboard, released 22 January 2009, compared the 27 EU countries' performance on innovation on 29 individual indicators of innovation, entrepreneurship and knowledge creation and intellectual property. The Scoreboard reports that the UK is one of six "Innovation leaders", grouped with Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Germany and Denmark.

The R&D Society provides short summaries of both these scoreboards, and other indicators of the UK's R&D performance on its website.

2008 R&D Scoreboard published - R&D Society comments "Government must help UK R&D"

Responding to the publication today (26 January 2009) by DIUS and BERR of the 2008 R&D Scoreboard, David Kingham, Chairman of the R&D Society, commented "The overall rise in R&D expenditure by the top 850 UK companies of 6% to £21.6 billion is welcome news, and shows continued confidence in UK companies of the value of R&D to their business. The news that the top 88 UK companies, who also rank in the top 1,400 global investors of R&D, increased their R&D investment by 10.3%, is offset by the Scoreboard’s findings that the remaining companies outside the top 88 grew their R&D by just 1.2% - a fall in real terms."

David Kingham continued, "It is not clear from the Scoreboard whether this reflects cuts in R&D activity or smarter spending by these companies, increasing their R&D efficiency. Given that these figures are from a time period prior to the current recession, we urge the Government to keep a close eye on the R&D activities of UK companies, and maintain and improve their efforts to support UK R&D. "

David Kingham concluded, "We endorse the R&D Scoreboard as a useful tool to enable companies to benchmark their R&D efforts with their peers. Investment in R&D is necessary for the long-term growth of many companies, and now is not the time for the Government to be distracted by short term financial difficulties at the expense of long-term, R&D-based improvements."

Update 27 January 2009: Coverage in Research Fortnight, ScienceBusiness, and The Engineer.

Opportunity: Board Members - Technology Strategy Board, c/d 16 Feb 2009

The Technology Strategy Board is an independent Government body with responsibility for encouraging innovation in the UK, through investment and development programmes such as the Knowledge Transfer Networks.

The Technology Strategy Board is governed by a Board chaired by Graham Spittle. Board members establish the overall strategic direction of the Technology Strategy Board. Several positions on the Governing Board are available.

They require Board members who have knowledge and experience of the exploitation of science, technology and new ideas by business knowledge and Board members with experience of a range of key specified technologies.

The role requires a time commitment of around eighteen days per year, for between two and four years and offers a remiuneration of £9180 per annum.

For full details of the role requirements and how to apply, see the Public Appointments website. Closing date for applications is 16 Feb 2009.

Opportunity: NESTA Trustee, c/d 13 Feb 2009

NESTA, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, is a publicly-funded body responsible for fostering UK innovation.

They are seeking a Trustee with financial expertise who will also serve as Chair of the Finance & Audit Committee. Therole requires a commitment of 2.5 days per month for an appointment of four years, with an annual remuneration of £9000 plus travel.

See the Public Appointments website for full details of the role and application process. Closing date: 13 February 2009

Opportunity: East of England and East MIdlands RDA Board members wanted, c/d 11 February 2009

The Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) are Government-funded bodies which work on a regional basis to further economic development and regeneration, promote business and employment and general regional economic development. The RDAs are goverened by boards of directors, which are appointed by BERR.

Two Regional Development Agencies require Board members - the East of England and the East Midlands. The position requires a minimum of two days a month for an initial period of three years, with a remuneration of £8,538 per annum.

They are looking for applicants with "sound, high level business background and are committed to, and enthusiastic about, the economic development and regeneration of your region" and "strategic thinkers with strong communication, representational and influencing skills, plus the capacity to provide critical challenge in order to help ensure the RDA delivers economic impact and value for money. ".

Please see the RDA Appointments website for details, including an email address and phone number to request an application pack. Closing date: 11 February 2009.