There was very little attention given to the 35 per cent funding increase for the UK’s nine Catapults in the last Autumn Statement. Buried deep within the associated budget documentation the government noted that
The government is now confirming that funding for the UK’s 9 Catapults will increase by 35 per cent compared to the last five-year funding cycle. This £1.6 billion investment will allow Catapults to continue supporting innovation and de-risking the transition from research to commercial delivery by providing access to world-leading facilities, expertise, skills, and equipment; accelerating innovation clusters and stimulating additional private sector investment in R&D across the UK, including for the Compound Semiconductor Catapult in Wales, the Digital Catapult centre in Northern Ireland and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult centre in Scotland.
It is the case that funding for research and development has been increasing throughout this Parliament but it is curious to consider why Catapults received so much additional funding and why now.
