The Scottish Government’s Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) release, published on 7 October, estimated that £5.2 billion was spent on research and development performed in Scotland during 2024. That represented 6.6% of the UK total. The measure follows where research was performed; it does not by itself show who financed it. Coverage includes business, higher education, government and private non-profit activity.

The report put the cash increase from 2023 at £158 million. After adjusting for inflation, the rise between 2023 and 2024 was 0.9%. These figures answer different questions: the cash comparison records the change in current-pound spending, while the real-terms rate removes the effect of price changes. A nominal increase should not be read as an equal increase in the volume of research activity.

Businesses performed £2.8 billion of R&D, equal to 54.1% of Scotland’s total. Higher education accounted for £2.0 billion, or 38.8%. This breakdown identifies the sector in which the work took place. It is distinct from a funding-source breakdown, which would identify whether money came from business, government or another source. The distinction matters when interpreting university research or private support for work carried out in universities.

GERD was estimated at 2.51% of gross domestic product. The corresponding comparisons were 2.71% for the UK, 2.13% for the EU and 2.72% for the OECD. Business R&D was 1.36% of Scotland’s GDP, while higher education R&D was 0.97%. These ratios compare expenditure intensity with economic output; they do not alone measure research quality, patent output, commercial success or future growth.

The publication brings together estimates for several performing sectors and international comparisons. Its £5.2 billion headline total should be kept separate from sector shares and GDP ratios: these are different measures, respectively a total, a composition and an intensity indicator. The reference year is 2024, while the release appeared on 7 October 2026. The figures describe a past period; they are not a live 2026 spending counter or a forward budget target.

An economic assessment needs to track expenditure and output separately. Capital, staff and research-service costs can translate the same budget into different volumes of activity. Judging future technological returns therefore requires project outcomes and commercialisation indicators alongside spending; this release does not provide a success rate for those outcomes.