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Publication - Progress report

National innovation strategy: scorecard - 2025 update

Published
25 September 2025
Directorate
Economic Development Directorate, +1 more … Chief Economist Directorate
Topic
Business, industry and innovation, Economy
ISBN
9781806431694

The national innovation strategy first published an innovation scorecard in 2023, tracking Scotland's performance against key metrics compiled from publicly available data. In the second annual update to the scorecard, Scotland’s innovation performance is compared to UK and global peers.

View supporting documents Supporting documents

4. Academic Income from Business and Community Interactions

4.1 Ecosystem

  • Concept

4.2 Performance Assessment

  • Performance Worsening

4.3 Description

  • Academic Income from Business and Community Interactions (in cash terms) is monitored as an indicator of the level of innovation activity occurring between higher education and business. A total of 7 types of academic incomes are captured this monitor, categorised as contract or other income:

Contract* income includes:

1) Consultancy contracts,

2) Contract research

3) Facilities and equipment related services

Other** income includes:

4) Collaborative research involving public funding

5) CPD and Continuing Education courses

6) Intellectual Property (incl. sale of shares in spin-offs)

7) Regeneration and development programmes

4.4 Time Series

  • Academic income from business community interactions has grown by 26% in cash terms over the past 5 years. Over the same period, contract income grew by 46% while other incomes are up by 12%.
Chart 10: Academic Income from Business and Community Interactions
A bar chart showing Scotland had a total of £684m of academic income in 2023/24. This comprises £327m in contract income and £358m in other income. The total does not equal the sum of the components due to rounding.

4.5 Current Performance

  • Total income in 2023/24 was £684m, down 1% in nominal terms, and 5% in real terms compared to 2022/23.
  • Contract income in 2023/24 was £327m, down 4% in cash terms and 8% in real terms compared to 2022/23.
  • Other income is £358m

4.6 Previous Year Performance

Table 3: Income from Business & Community Interactions (Real Terms, 2024 Prices)
£m 23/24 22/23 %∆
Total £685m £722m -5%
Contract £327m £356m -8%
Other £358m £366m -2%

4.7 UK Regional Benchmark

  • Scotland ranks 1st for Total, 1st for Contracts and 3rd for Other as percentages of GDP.
Chart 11: Income (2023/24) as % of GDP (2023)
A bar chart showing Scotland ranks 1st out of the 12 regions in terms of total academic income as a percentage of GDP; this represents 0.34% of Scotland’s GDP and is the sum of the 0.16% in contract income and 0.18% in other income.

4.8 International Benchmark

  • There are no readily available international comparisons.

4.9 About the Data

Contact

Email: innovation@gov.scot

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