UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) publish an annually updated Global mobility evidence report, collating published studies on the mobility of researchers to the UK. The report aims to centralise available evidence on international mobility to stimulate conversations and shape policy developments.
This summary presents key findings from the 2025 report. This includes evidence on the attractiveness of the UK to international researchers, drivers of and barriers to mobility, as well as the impact of international mobility and collaboration.
These findings highlight the global nature of the UK’s research workforce, and the impact of international mobility and collaboration for researchers, organisations, and the UK.
A comprehensive overview of the evidence base can be found in the full Global mobility evidence report 2025. This includes details of the methodology of how the report was created.
To share any suggestions or feedback on this report email globalmobility@ukri.org
Attractiveness of the UK
International researchers are primarily attracted by opportunities for career progression, research funding, networking, level of pay and benefits, and research infrastructure.
Evidence indicates that the particular drivers that have contributed to international researchers choosing the UK include to pursue career opportunities, to work with experts and build networks, and to access research facilities.
Current factors impacting on the attractiveness of the UK include uncertainty about career development opportunities and perceptions that the UK is less welcoming following the UK’s exit from the EU. Challenges in navigating the UK’s immigration system have also been identified.
There is currently little comparative evidence about how different countries support and promote international mobility, with challenges in making like-for-like comparisons between countries.
Demographics and mobility of the research workforce
Data tells us that the research and development (R&D) workforce in the UK has been rising steadily over the last fifteen years. This includes the proportion of international researchers within the R&D workforce.
The data shows that:
- in 2024, almost one-fifth (19%) of all R&D workers were estimated to be non-UK nationals
- during the 2009 to 2024 period, there has been an annual increase in non-EU nationality academic staff and an annual decrease in EU nationality academic staff
- a quarter (25%) of all respondents to a 2024 workforce survey (and 34% of non-British respondents) reported planning to, or strongly considering, working outside the UK during the next five years
- comparing the 2022 and 2024 workforce survey responses, ‘the number of people who said they would strongly consider or already have definite plans to work outside the UK in the next five years statistically significantly decreased.’ A ‘shift from professional to personal motivations for staying in the UK’ was also observed
- in 2024, the outflow of international scientific authors from the UK slightly exceeded the inflow to the UK, with a negative net flow of minus 0.2 (as a % of total authors)
Further analysis is needed to understand how trends in international mobility to the UK vary by occupation, sector or discipline, career stage and for researchers with protected characteristics.
Impact of international mobility and collaboration
Evidence highlights that international mobility and collaboration are essential to research and innovation, and have impacts for researchers, organisations, and countries.
For researchers international mobility and collaboration is key to career development and enables access to expertise, data, infrastructure, resources, and to building networks, knowledge, and skills.
For organisations, including universities and businesses, international collaboration can result in enhanced outcomes compared to domestic partnerships, including ‘higher levels of patenting activity, business growth, profitability, and innovation performance’.
For the UK, international collaboration contributes to economic growth and supports the UK’s soft power.
There is a focus within existing evidence on publication data which does not present a full picture of the potential impact of, and benefits from, research arising through international mobility and collaboration. This includes the potential broader contributions of research to the economy and to society, and in addressing global challenges.
Barriers to international mobility
Evidence identifies a range of barriers to international researcher mobility to the UK. These include upfront visa and immigration costs, the complexity of the immigration system, wider barriers to living in the UK, and the availability of research funding.
The data shows that:
- since 2019, total upfront immigration costs have increased by 128% depending on visa type
- these upfront costs present financial challenges for, and impact on, international researchers, as well as UK research organisations, research-intensive businesses and research funders
- researchers with protected characteristics and caregivers can experience disproportionate challenges in relation to the UK visa system, including the upfront costs and complexities of the system. Additional challenges experienced include accessing services, the financial impact of childcare costs, and career progression
- wider barriers for international researchers to living in the UK include levels of pay and benefits, finding accommodation, and considerations around maintaining quality of life
- availability of research funding, as well as funding for mobility, has previously been identified as a barrier for EU researchers to the UK
Visa and immigration systems and offers are complex and making country-to-country comparisons can be difficult. Further evidence is required to understand the specific disincentive that such upfront costs present.
UKRI allows visa costs, including the Immigration Health Surcharge, to be claimed on research grants provided researchers spend 50% or more of their time working on the grant.
Areas for future research and next steps
Further research is needed to determine the exact nature and level of identified barriers and their impact on the attractiveness of the UK, researcher mobility, and research activity.
Evidence is also needed to understand how identified barriers to mobility can be effectively addressed.
UKRI continues to prioritise evidence-gathering on the impact of upfront visa and immigration costs (including the Immigration Health Surcharge).
UKRI are evaluating the role of research funding schemes in fostering international mobility with a focus on the Global Talent Fund.
For more information about UKRI’s global mobility programme, contact globalmobility@ukri.org
References
Details of sources are provided for each report section and in order of appearance. The full Global mobility evidence report 2025 has an extensive list of further sources.
Attractiveness of the UK
European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (2021): MORE4: Support data collection and analysis concerning mobility patterns and career paths of researchers : survey on researchers outside Europe
RAND (2018): International Movement and Science: a survey of researchers by the Together Science Can campaign
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (2022): Research and innovation (R&I) workforce survey report, 2022 GOV.UK
Home Office (2024): Global Talent visa evaluation: Wave 2 report
Kay, L., Scott, R., et al. (2025): “Everything is harder” but “the spirit of science is still there”: understanding how the new UK-EU relationship affects global collaboration in cancer research
Campaign for Science and Engineering (2025): Barriers in the visa system for UK R&D organisations
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (2025): What works to attract and retain people into R&D careers
Demographics and mobility of the research workforce
Office for National Statistics (2025): Employment in research and development occupations by nationality, SOC 20 classification, 2021 to 2024 – Office for National Statistics
Higher Education Statistics Agency (2025): Higher Education Staff Statistics: UK, 2023 to 2024
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (2024): Research and Innovation workforce survey: 2024 insights GOV.UK
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2025): Research and Innovation Careers Observatory (ReICO) Themes
Impact of international mobility and collaboration
European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (2021): MORE4: Support data collection and analysis concerning mobility patterns and career paths of researchers : survey on researchers outside Europe
Innovation and Research Caucus (2024): Economic Benefits of International Collaboration in Research, Development and Innovation
Russell Group (2025): The value of the UK’s international research partnerships
Barriers to international mobility
Royal Society (2025): UK immigration costs: an international comparison of skilled worker, researcher and student visas in 2025 | Royal Society
Cancer Research UK (2025): Impact of the UK immigration system on cancer research: Evidence and analysis from CRUK Institutes 2025
Campaign for Science and Engineering (2025): Barriers in the visa system for UK R&D organisations
Campaign for Science and Engineering (2023): The Skills Opportunity: Building a more innovative UK
EDI Caucus (forthcoming)
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (2024): Research and Innovation workforce survey: 2024 insights GOV.UK
European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (2021): MORE4: Support data collection and analysis concerning mobility patterns and career paths of researchers : survey on researchers outside Europe