This report is based on interviews with a range of experienced politicians, political advisers and civil servants.

It looks at how policy-makers currently engage with cutting-edge research, and considers ways to improve the relationship between those who push at the boundaries of knowledge and those who govern the country.

The purpose of this report is to reflect on how research has been conceptualised as both an integral part of the research and development (R&D) ecosystem and a national asset. It focuses specifically on research conducted by higher education institutions, which in 2019 received £9.1 billion, or 24% of the overall UK R&D budget.