Research

A Plaid Cymru government will take a leading role in providing research funding, we would seek to devolve Wales’s share of UK Research and Innovation expenditure and for a block grant to be allocated based on population.

Wales currently spends around 1 per cent of its GDP on R&D (some £750m per annum). We should set a national goal of doubling that to 2 per cent by 2030, we would increase Government funding for innovation and R&D by £100m by the end of the Senedd term.

Welsh innovation strategy and delivery will be driven by a new National Innovation body.

In addition, we would establish an AI Institute for the Future Economy, including a new Lab for Workplace Innovation, to help position Wales on the global map as a digital nation and facilitate a more integrated approach to the application of leading-edge research on AI across Wales.

View other Education policies

Free School Meals
We aim to provide all primary and secondary children with free school meals, with an emphasis on developing local supply...
Early Years
We would establish a national free, Welsh-medium early years education and childcare service, Meithrin Cymru, giving high quality provision for...
Schools
Funding Plaid Cymru would invest more in our schools to employ more staff. By the end of our first term...
The teaching profession
Currently one in three teachers is quitting the classroom within his or her first five years. We would address this...
Digital Competence
We believe every child should be equipped with all that they need for learning from home, including a laptop and...
Closing the attainment gap
Individualised tutoring or coaching can be a gamechanger – but one that few families currently can afford. Students who receive...
Curriculum
The development of the new curriculum presents exciting opportunities to transform our education system, it has potential to promote creativity,...
Qualifications and Assessment
We believe it is time to explore putting greater emphasis on continuous assessment rather than examinations. Following consultation with universities...
21st Century school design
We would establish a Commission to examine ways schools can become more family-friendly and conducive to learning, this would include...
Post-16 Education
For too long we have been fixed upon giving young people binary choices at the age of 16: sixth form...
Further Education
We will conduct an urgent Ministerial review of post 16 provision, put in place systems to end needless competition in...
Apprenticeships
We would adopt a model of longer apprenticeships with more off the job training at a younger age, expanding apprenticeships...
Higher Education
We aim to make Welsh universities among the best funded in the UK, by: Expanding the numbers studying at Welsh...
Student Financial Support
We would reduce the maximum tuition fee chargeable to Welsh-domiciled students at Welsh universities to £7,500, this would be the...
Lifelong Learning
To even up educational investment we need to commit to investing in lifelong learning not just paying it lip service....
Skills Framework
At the moment those who do not choose to go to university are badly served by our education system, if...