However, in more recent times, the UK has faced stiff competition in technological innovation. China, Japan, South Korea, Germany and France all file more patents, as does the US, with Silicon Valley in California the center of the world’s tech startup ecosystem.
The country has also had to deal with Brexit and its impact on the flow of talent and investment.
Despite the well-documented challenges of Brexit and the economic and geopolitical upheaval of the past decade, the UK continues to be a center for excellence in education, with some of the world’s most revered universities. It also ranks 5th in the Global Innovation Index 2024, and third after the US and China in the Global Vibrancy Tool 2024, which looks at countries leading in AI. As the UK aims to build on its rich heritage in tech innovation, we look at how some of the key inventions of the past connect to present research that has the potential to transform the future.
