The UK’s national innovation strategy is lacking a clear roadmap and effective spending tracking, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). The NAO has called for reforms to improve spending decisions and transparency around outcomes, highlighting the need for annual departmental outcome delivery plans to be reinstated. These plans would provide independently verifiable information on progress towards priority outcomes and allocated resources.
The NAO’s report emphasizes the importance of departments working together to manage spending, risks, and delivery against common objectives. It also stresses the need for rigorous evaluation and monitoring of costs, performance, and risk levels. The government is expected to address these concerns as it prepares for the 2025 spending review.
