Interconnected innovation: Physical connectivity as the missing ingredient in UK research and innovation policy
Think tank: HEPI
Author(s): Professor Geraint Rees; Sarah Chaytor
June 18, 2026
This report from UK think tank HEPI states that transport connectivity should play a greater role in how the UK assesses research investment.
A new HEPI Report published today says transport connectivity should play a greater role in how the UK assesses research investment. World‑class research capabilities exist across the whole UK, yet poor physical connectivity means they rarely function as a national system. Transport infrastructure can drive measurable innovation gains, with one study even showing that linking two cities with cost-effective flights can increase scientific collaboration by 30 to 50 per cent. Current innovation and growth strategies tend to ignore this.
Interconnected Innovation: Physical connectivity as the missing ingredient in UK research and innovation policy (HEPI Report 202) by Professor Geraint Rees (UCL’s Vice Provost for Research, Innovation and Global Engagement) and Sarah Chaytor (UCL’s Director of Strategy and Policy) argues that the UK’s compact geography is a great asset, but also that the current prioritisation of place and regional spend limits the potential benefits.
The paper’s four key recommendations are:
Research investment should be assessed for both individual excellence and contribution to the national ecosystem;
Research funders should prioritise investment in assets but also in the connective tissues – networks, platforms, shared infrastructure and mobility schemes – that support connected capabilities;
Infrastructure decisions should reflect research and innovation impacts; and
Place-based funding should incentivise connection rather than self-sufficiency.
An approach based on improving connectivity could shift policy debates away from zero-sum choices around the concentration and distribution of research funding. Better alignment of research and innovation policy with decisions on transport, digital and capital infrastructure would instead encourage different places to work together.
The paper concludes: ‘If the UK is serious about strategic research investment, it must be equally serious about the physical connectivity that makes national collaboration possible.’
