22 July 2021 | News
The new R&D People and Culture Strategy aims to make UK the most ideal place for innovation, led by individuals, universities and businesses, and funders
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The UK government has set out plans to make the UK the best destination in the world for researchers, making sure that it continues to attract the brightest and best from the UK and from overseas, cementing its status as a science superpower.
The new R&D People and Culture Strategy aims to make UK the most ideal place for research and innovation, led by individuals, universities and businesses, and funders. As part of the strategy, the government will review the research funding offer to retain, attract and support the very best researchers, innovators and their teams.
In addition, the government has made a series of new commitments, including:
Developed in collaboration with the sector, including academia, industry and charities with organizations such as Universities UK and GSK, the strategy lays out the challenges that researchers and institutions are facing, including skills shortages in particular disciplines, limited opportunities for career progression and issues of bullying and harassment.
In response, the strategy sets out how government will work with institutions, businesses, funders and charities to drive change in the sector, with new initiatives to encourage more young people into research, broaden career pathways in the sector and look further into the impacts of bureaucracy on researchers.
The publication of the R&D People and Culture Strategy comes alongside the launch of the Innovation Strategy, which aims to make the UK a global hub for innovation and increase business investment in R&D.
The Global Talent Visa, along with the High Potential Individual and Scale-up visa routes in the Innovation Strategy, provide fast-track visa routes for high skills individuals and their teams, attracting top research talent to the UK. The UK’s points-based immigration system also does this by enabling employers to attract the best and brightest global talent to contribute to the UK’s economy.