UK Innovation Report 2026 launched at the Institute for Government

On Thursday, 19 March, policymakers, industry leaders, and experts gathered at the Institute for Government for the official launch of the Innovation Report 2026. The event, held both in person and online, provided a platform for discussing the report’s key findings and their alignment with the UK’s evolving industrial strategy.

Published by Cambridge Industrial Innovation Policy, the report offers a detailed analysis of the UK’s innovation landscape, assessing the performance of key industrial sectors compared to global competitors. It presents vital evidence on the UK’s industrial strengths, challenges, and opportunities within a shifting economic context.

Attendees had the opportunity to hear from Lord David Sainsbury, former Chancellor of the University of Cambridge and former Minister for Science and Innovation, alongside the report’s authors. This session provided the audience with a chance to engage directly with the researchers behind the report, explore the underlying data and charts in greater depth, and ask technical questions about the evidence base. 

A panel of prominent industry and policy leaders – including Dave Smith, UK National Technology Adviser at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology; Sharon Todd, CEO of SCI; and Stewart Lane, Head of Business Development at Renishaw — reflected on the report’s findings and explored their implications for the UK’s innovation and industrial strategy. The discussion considered how the UK can better translate research excellence into industrial competitiveness, the challenges of scaling and retaining high-growth technology companies domestically, the transformation underway in advanced manufacturing sectors, and the practical steps needed to strengthen the UK’s long-term innovation capacity.

As the demand for stronger evidence in industrial and innovation policymaking increases, the UK Innovation Report 2026 makes a timely contribution by offering new data, analyses, and perspectives to support evidence-based policy development.

Watch the event recording

Download the Innovation Report 2026