The UK has one of the most creative and productive scientific and research communities in the world. From 17th century mathematician, Isaac Newton, who discovered gravity, to Watson and Crick, who unravelled the structure of DNA in the 20th century, British scientists have always been up there with the world's best.

The UK Government sees science and innovation as a key export in today's highly competitive global economy. Because of this, its investment in research and development (R&D) has increased substantially over the past decade.

In this section we explore how science is organised in the UK, including information about:

• UK expertise and how the government promotes our scientific achievements at home and abroad
• how R&D works in the UK and the role of research councils
• how the government helps UK companies to compete overseas and attracts inward investment to the UK
• how the system is organised to help scientific education at all levels to develop and prosper.