Innovation is key to the success of any business. The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy's Innovation Report recently found that companies which consistently invest in research and development (R&D) are 13% more productive than those that don't invest at all and 9% more productive than those which only occasionally invest in R&D. 

This means that if you want your business to thrive, you need to be investing in R&D! In this blog post, we will discuss how you can do this and why it is so vital for your productivity.

Some businesses are hesitant to invest in R&D because they believe it is a waste of money. However, this could not be further from the truth! There are many ways in which R&D can benefit your business, such as:

Allowing you to develop new products and services:

Developing new products and services is essential for keeping up with the competition and ensuring that your customers are always satisfied. R&D can help you achieve this by allowing you to explore new ideas, test prototypes and improve existing products. In addition, R&D can also help you to reduce costs by making use of new technologies and processes. By investing in R&D, you can ensure that your business is always at the forefront of innovation.

Helping you to enter new markets:

When most people think of R&D, they likely conjure up images of white-coated scientists working in labs. However, R&D is a critical part of any successful business. R&D can help you enter new markets, improve your existing products and services, and gain a competitive edge. But, perhaps most importantly, R&D can help you identify new opportunities for growth and increased profitability.

Improving your existing products and services:

R&D can help you identify ways to improve your existing products and services, making them more efficient and effective.

There is no limit to how much a business can benefit from investing in R&D. The more you invest, the more productive your company will be! However, we understand that not all businesses have the same budget for R&D. This is why it is vital to invest what you can afford and make sure you are using R&D data effectively to improve productivity.

So, how much money should a company invest in R&D each year? This is a difficult question to answer as it depends on the size of the company and its budget. However, we recommend investing at least 10-20% of your gross profit into R&D.

There are many ways in which businesses can use R&D data to improve productivity. For example, you could use R&D data to identify areas of your business that need improvement, allowing you to focus your resources on the areas that will impact your bottom line. Alternatively, you could use R&D data to develop new products and services that meet your customers' needs; this could help you tap into new markets and secure a competitive advantage. Alternatively, you could use R&D data to improve your existing products and services; this would help keep your current customers happy and increase your market share. Whichever way you use R&D data, it is clear that it can be a powerful tool for improving productivity.

All businesses should invest in R&D, regardless of size or budget; this is because R&D is essential for innovation and productivity. If you don't invest in R&D, you will struggle to keep up with the competition, and your customers will eventually become dissatisfied.

There are some successful businesses which don't invest in R&D. However, this is usually because they are already established and don't see the need to innovate to stay ahead of the competition. These businesses are the exception rather than the rule.

There are no negative consequences associated with investing in R&D. You should be aware that R&D is a long-term investment, and it can take many years to see the results.

We hope that this blog post has convinced you of the importance of investing in R&D. If you want your business to be more productive, you need to start investing in R&D today! Contact us if you would like to discuss your R&D needs with our team of experts.