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The United Kingdom, guest country at the 14th edition of Transfiere

The UK is a global leader in science and innovation, combining diversity, academic excellence and a leading technology sector. It reaffirms its commitment to international cooperation to address challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and pandemics, strengthening the global impact of science and technology.

Science and innovation in the UK

It ranks 5th out of 133 economies in the Global Innovation Index 2024.
By October 2024, it has created and hosts 161 unicorns since 2000, more than France, Germany and Sweden combined.
It is home to 4 of the world’s top 10 universities, including Oxford University (1st) and Cambridge University (5th), according to the Times Higher Education Index.
The Russell Group represents the UK’s leading research-intensive universities.

It is the country with the second highest number of Nobel Prize winners.
In 2023, UK startups raised €20.500 million in venture capital investment.
The main technology sectors are: AI, quantum technologies, semiconductors, telecommunications, financial technology and cybersecurity.
On 13 January 2025, the UK Prime Minister unveiled the AI Opportunities Action Plan, aimed at attracting investment from artificial intelligence companies.

The UK and Spain, great allies

Scientific collaboration

The UK and Spain are great partners in science. The UK ranks 2nd in the world in terms of scientific collaboration with Spain.

More than 3,200 Spanish researchers work in British universities and centres.
Nearly 80,000 joint scientific publications (2011-2020), according to FECYT’s Analysis of scientific production.
Collaboration in projects such as the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes in the Canary Islands.

Strategic investments

Spanish companies are major investors in the UK.

Iberdrola has invested close to 35.000 million euros in the United Kingdom’s electricity grid and renewable sector over the past 15 years, leading the world’s largest offshore wind project, the East Anglia Hub.
Open Cosmos, founded by the Spaniard Rafel Jorda Siquier and based in Oxfordshire, is one of the fastest growing companies in the satellite sector and will play a crucial role in the design and construction of satellites for the Atlantic Constellation.

UK Patents, Trademarks and Designs (2018 – 2024)

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Guest countries from previous editions

Transfiere has counted on Guest Countries as one of the main lines of deployment of its internationalisation strategy. Meet the world’s leading countries that were present in past editions of the Transfiere Forum.