Information technology research in the UK: perspectives on services research and development, and systems of innovation

This paper reports on a survey of information technology (IT) research and development (R&D) in the UK, representing around two-thirds of the total population of IT R&D employees in the UK private and public sectors. The firm-level survey identified that the UK is particularly strong in communications R&D, and in the internet, user applications software, middle-ware, photonic components and microelectronics. More especially, services R&D in the form of systems and software R&D accounted for well over half the total R&D effort within the surveyed IT firms and organisations. The paper concludes by exploring some of the key conceptual and policy issues arising from the research. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.