EEF comment on Hauser Innovation Review

“It is good news for innovative businesses that the Catapult network is established and growing. Catapult centres are an ambitious policy intervention that will help companies overcome some of the key barriers to innovation and they are benefiting from  growing business awareness and demand.

“Nonetheless, the Hauser review correctly identifies the need for additional core funding from government to ensure the Catapult centres have the resources they need to de-risk innovation and keep reinvesting in cutting edge equipment. Government should take forward the Hauser review’s recommendations in the science and innovation white paper next month.”

Key points:

• The Hauser Review provides an excellent framework for developing the UK’s network of Catapult centres. The review rightly highlights the gap in the innovation landscape that the centres fill: reducing the risk associated with innovation and providing companies with access to skills and expertise which may otherwise be beyond their reach.
• It is now critically important that the government provides the Catapult centres with a long-term commitment to their funding, based on the principle of balanced income from government and industry. As the review highlights, this balance of funding is key to enabling the centres to engage in riskier, less immediately commercial, projects.
• The review notes that there are areas for improvement for the centres: for example on SME engagement, and developing metrics for success, but this should not detract from the fact that the centres are developing well. EEF surveys show that there is growing business demand and engagement.
• The review makes clear that the Catapult centres do not act in isolation; they are part of a network of support for innovation, and a breadth of support from Innovate UK is required to ensure innovative ideas make it through to market.
• EEF are now looking for government to set out a long-term funding settlement for Innovate UK in the science and innovation white paper that enables it to maintain the breadth and scale of existing programmes, and grow the Catapult centres in line with the balanced funding model.