Chartered ABS publishes 2026 Research Income Report

Business & Management research funding reaches £100m for the first time

Funding for Business & Management from all sources exceeded £100m in 2023/24. This is another record and the eighth consecutive year of annual increases in nominal terms. Total funding grew by 5% since 2022/23, or 4% in real-terms after accounting for inflation. Over the last five years, funding increased by 10% in real-terms whereas funding for all academic subjects saw a real-terms decline of 8%.

Insights from HESA data over the last decade (2013/14-2023/24)

The report draws on the latest data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and examines trends in research funding over the decade between 2013/14 and 2023/24, with analysis also given on trends over the last five years (2018/19-2023/24). In addition to nominal changes, the report presents inflation adjusted figures to offer insights into trends in funding in real-terms. The analysis includes breakdowns by funding source, region, and institutional mission group, offering a comprehensive view of the research funding landscape for Business & Management.

Funding from UK sources, and the Research Councils especially, have driven another record year in funding for Business & Management

As seen in the 2025 report, the UK Research Councils and central government once again contributed the largest annual increases in funding for Business & Management. Funding from the Research Councils increased for the eighth year in a row and now comprise nearly half of all Business & Management research income. This is a continuation of the existing trend in which UK sources account for an increasingly large proportion of total funding for Business & Management (83% in 2023/24).

Funding from EU government bodies fell heavily in 2023/24, leading to further reliance on domestic funding

Funding from EU government bodies fell by 45% in the last year, likely an impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. The UK’s Association membership to Horizon Europe commenced in 2024 and therefore any increase in bidding activity for EU research grants by UK institutions may not be reflected in the HESA data for some time yet. Since last year, funding from all EU sources for Business & Management has fallen from 20% to 12% of total funding.

Growth in Business & Management research funding continued to out-pace a selection STEM subjects

In the last year, Business & Management saw larger proportional increases in funding than Biosciences and Civil Engineering. Over a five year period, the growth in funding for Business & Management out-paced Biosciences, Civil Engineering, I.T, and Physics. This is a reversal of the situation in the late 2010s and early 2020s when STEM subjects typically saw much larger annual percentage increases in funding than Business & Management.

The share of research income received by institutions in London and the South-East fell in 2023/24

Funding for institutions in the South-East declined by 10% in the last year, ending a four year run of annual increases. Although funding for institutions in London increased marginally by 1%, the combined share of funding for London and the South-East reduced to 30% of the total. This is 10% lower than ten years ago, highlighting shifts in the regional distribution of funding over the last decade.

This report also offers analysis of research funding concentration in Business & Management, revealing that the top 10% of institutions account for 41% of the total income.

Explore the data for 2013/14 to 2023/24: Interactive Tableau dashboards available

To explore the data in greater detail, please log in to this page with your email address, where you can access the interactive Tableau dashboards. This tool provides insights into research funding trends for Business & Management and Economics & Econometrics over the past decade, allowing users to compare their institution’s performance against others. The dashboard includes filters to visualise data by provider, mission group, incorporation type, and region, offering a comprehensive resource to benchmark and contextualise your institution’s research funding within the sector.

Download the 2026 Chartered ABS Research Income Report