Innovation State of the Nation Survey Report 2026

Research Report

Innovation State of the Nation Survey Report 2026

Published: 7 October 2026

ERC_IRC Report

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ERC_ IRC

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Innovation

The Innovation State of the Nation Survey (ISNS) provides an annual overview of innovation activity across a representative sample of UK businesses. This report focuses on the 2026 survey covering 2,037 firms. Results are compared with those from the 2023, 2024 and 2025 surveys to highlight short-term trends in innovation levels, the factors driving innovation, and the barriers firms face when initiating and sustaining innovative activity.

The report also presents disaggregated results on innovation activity by region, sector, and firm-size band, where sample sizes permit. In addition, the ISNS 2026 examines UK businesses’ adoption of advanced digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), and provides insights into the composition of firm leadership and their innovation teams.

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