R&D expert urges rethink of timescale for £22bn target

Richard Jones warns “serious and lasting damage” from Covid-19 has put R&D target at risk

A prominent research and development expert whose work was favoured by Boris Johnson’s former aide, Dominic Cummings, has called for a realistic rethink of the government’s research spending targets in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The UK government has repeatedly committed to doubling public R&D investment to £22 billion a year by 2024-25, as part of its long-term aim to increase R&D spending to 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027.