Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the to the Higher Education Statistics Authority report entitled Higher Education Provider Data: Business and Community Interaction 2022/23 published on 4 April 2024, what assessment her department has made of the reasons for the decline in higher education income from collaborative research with business from 2021-22 to 2022-23.

Higher education income from collaborative research with business dropped between 2021/22 and 2022/23 from £1.89bn to £1.78bn. However, this is still consistent with an upward trend from 2018/19.

The government supports university knowledge exchange activities business, through Higher Education Innovation Funding which is currently at its highest ever level at £260m a year with an additional £20m to support business and commercialisation activities.