Current status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 20 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide to businesses to pursue innovation, in light of UK Innovation Survey 2021 data showing that 39% of businesses in Scotland were innovation active in 2018-20 compared to 44.9% for the UK as a whole.
We are committed to become a world leading, innovation nation, which will help us grow our economy and create sustainable, green jobs. As the recent figures from the UK Innovation Survey show, there is still work to be done.
That is why this year we will publish new innovation strategy which will ensure that our businesses, people and institutions are ready to meet the global economic challenges and opportunities we face over the next 10 years.
The Strategy will build on the support already available to businesses through our Enterprise Agencies, who since 2017 have distributed around £600m directly to businesses to build their capacity and capability to innovate, and initiatives such as the Digital Development Grant, which since September 2020 has invested almost £50m to over 5,600 SMEs to help them utilise digital technologies and enhance workforce skills.
Since 2007 Scotland’s business R&D expenditure has doubled, whereas the comparable figure for the UK as a whole was only 29% growth over the same period.
We recently commissioned The Scottish Council for Development and Industry to undertake research on the specific barriers to innovation faced by Scottish businesses. The findings from the report, together with our engagement with industry and key stakeholders, will inform a reformed package of support within the Strategy to ensure our businesses realise their innovative potential.