Encouraging researchers to move between industry and academia throughout their careers will stimulate innovation and growth, according to senior business and university leaders.
In a new report, the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) says that just 20 per cent of researchers currently working at UK universities have previously been employed in the private sector.
Its research showed that this is below the average across the European Union, and about half as many as in countries such as Poland and Bulgaria.
However, it is broadly in line with other large research- and development-intensive economies such as Germany and France.
