UK universities were delivering Government’s Industrial Strategy – years before it was written

UK universities* have been producing world-leading research in the Government’s high-growth sectors since 2021 – four years before the Industrial Strategy was published, according to a new data analysis by Elsevier, in collaboration with Universities UKopens in new tab/window.

Between 2021-2025, UK research in high-growth sectors was consistently cited more often than the global average: life sciences research was cited around 170% above the world average and digital and technologies 51% above. Financial services research grew faster than any other sector, expanding by 36.2% over five years; before financial services was formally announced as a priority growth sector.

Three key findings emerged from the data analysis:

Universities organically ‘predict’ and specialise in high-growth sectors – indicating their pivotal role in driving national and regional growth. Academic expertise in key research areas pre-dates the Industrial Strategy’s publication by at least four years.

The UK has a geographically diverse, interconnected research ecosystem – challenging the assumption that research expertise is limited to just a handful of locations.

• For example: North East England has the UK's highest research specialisation in financial services; advanced manufacturing specialisation is high across both the West and East Midlands; and West Central and East Central Scotland rank among the most specialised regions for digital and technologies research.

Regional research and economic strengths do not always align – when there is a ‘gap’ between the two, it is a sign that something needs further investigation.

• The West Midlands has the UK's highest research specialisation in Advanced Manufacturing and above-average economic specialisation in the sector – an example of ‘in step’ research and economic activity.

• North East England combines the UK's highest Financial Services research specialisation with below-average economic specialisation in the sector – an example of a ‘gap’ that, if explored further, could indicate growth potential.

Elsevier and UUK mapped UK research between 2021-2025 against priority sectors singled out in the Government’s 2025 Industrial Strategyopens in new tab/window – the first publicly-available data analysis of its kind. Through investment and innovation, these sectors have the potential to create ‘wealth, jobs and higher wages’ for the country.

Professor Sarah Main, VP, Global Research Collaboration Unit, Elsevier, said: “These insights show how the rich diversity of research across the UK drives growth in the economic sectors of interest to Government. By looking at economic and research signals together, we can see for the first time potential areas for growth: for example, growth in a research area to support a strong regional business sector, or business opportunity based on strong research activity. The challenge now is to use the UK’s strengths in universities and business to advance prosperity. We hope the data we’re publicly sharing will give policy-makers the insights they need to make evidence-based investment decisions.”

Professor Malcolm Press CBE, President of Universities UK, said: “These data show [MP1] the vital role university research has to play in powering the high growth industries of the future in every corner of the country. Universities are increasingly working with regional partners to ensure that their research activity supports local economic growth strategies, so that government gets even greater bang for its buck.

“The dashboard, developed alongside Elsevier, shows that UK research is not only world-leading but is delivering practical benefits for people, households and our public services, while also revealing significant research strengths across many different regions of the country.

“The Government’s significant investment in research and innovation, together with its Industrial Strategy, creates a real opportunity to further turn these research strengths into higher productivity, regional growth and greater economic resilience.”

Professor Andrew Jones, Vice Chancellor and President of Brunel University London, said: “This dashboard demonstrates the strength of research expertise across UK Universities. The analysis also shows how the sector is supporting the ambitions of the UK's Industrial Strategy. Furthermore, it identifies areas where businesses and universities could go further. We hope senior policymakers can recognise the future opportunities where universities can deliver the much-needed research to drive growth.”

Elsevier and UUK have developed a data dashboard for institutions and policymakers, with the aim of using the data analysis to understand national and regional areas for growth and investment.

For more information and to view the data, please visit UUK IS-8 Analytical Dashboard - Elsevier Analytical Servicesopens in new tab/window or explore the findings through our interactive visual story Research strengths powering the UKopens in new tab/window.

Notes to Editors

• *The research data covers the 142 universities who are members of Universities UK.

• This analysis should be read as one part of a wider evidence base, rather than a definitive assessment of research strengths across individual regions or nations, or the UK as a whole. It does not capture factors such as infrastructure, training and skills, research funding flows, unpublished industry R&D, the creation and value of spinouts, or future investment intentions, all of which can shape how research capability translates into economic and societal impact.

• The eight sectors in the Industrial Strategyopens in new tab/window are: advanced manufacturing, creative industries, life sciences, clean energy, defence, digital and technologies, professional and business services, and financial services. Defence is excluded from the Elsevier-UUK dashboard because a significant share of directly defence-related work is classified and therefore absent from publication data, making publication-based mapping less reliable for that sector.

About Universities UK

At Universities UK, we harness the power of the UK’s universities and create the conditions for them to thrive. We are the collective voice of 142 universities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, bringing them together to pursue a common cause: thriving universities, serving society. We aim to ensure our universities can transform the lives of more individuals, drive greater growth and create flourishing places through the knowledge and skills they generate, while being globally competitive centres of research making ground-breaking discoveries. Universities UK acts on behalf of universities, represented by their heads of institution. www.universitiesuk.ac.ukopens in new tab/window

About Elsevier

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