What the Autumn Budget 2025 Means for UK Innovation
Stuart Millar
November 27, 2025
The R&D Scheme
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The EmpowerRD Blog
Insights and ideas to enrich your innovation, navigate the complex funding landscape, and enhance the quality of your R&D tax credit claims.
HMRC R&D Tax Update: Spring 2026 RDCF Insights
The landscape of R&D tax relief continues to shift, and this afternoon’s Research and Development Communication Forum (RDCF) meeting provided critical updates for UK innovators. From the full rollout of the Merged Scheme to new mandatory registrations for tax advisers, the message from HMRC is clear: they are seeking a “right balance” between rigorous compliance and supporting genuine technical advancement. Here are the key takeaways from the March 2026 update. 1. The New “Normal”: Merged Scheme & ERIS The transition ...
Autumn Budget 2025: Turning fiscal restraint into growth
Alex Hannaway
November 18, 2025
Recent R&D tax relief scheme changes require understanding to ensure future claims are successful.
Latest posts
R&D tax relief statistics 2025: claims fall 26% while innovation spend holds steady
Stuart Millar
September 30, 2025
HMRC’s latest R&D tax credit statistics for 2025 reveal a mixed picture. The total number of claims has dropped sharply, yet UK businesses are still
How much should UK scale-ups invest in R&D: guidance for CFOs and founders
Alex Hannaway
September 24, 2025
Investment benchmarks: £1.46 million and 12% intensity Interested in seeing how your businesses R&D budget compares? According to our UK Innovation Report 2025, medium-to-large companies
Elsbury v The Information Commissioner: Tribunal Orders HMRC to Reveal Its Use of AI
Stuart Millar
September 22, 2025
A landmark tribunal ruling In early August the First‑tier Tribunal (General Regulatory Chamber) handed down a judgment in Elsbury v The Information Commissioner [2025] UKFTT
Investor insight: Why 92% say R&D is vital to growth
Alex Hannaway
September 18, 2025
R&D is no longer a back-office function. For UK startups and scale-ups, it is the frontline of growth, and investors know it. According to our
Why 1 in 4 scale-ups faced an HMRC enquiry last year
Alex Hannaway
September 17, 2025
1. R&D is vital, and scrutiny is rising R&D tax credits are one of the UK’s most important incentives for innovation. It supports growth in
The UK Innovation Report 2025 – 5 things every founder needs to know
Alex Hannaway
September 9, 2025
The UK innovation landscape is shifting fast. Despite economic pressures and global disruption, scale-ups are continuing to prioritise R&D, but regulatory complexity and HMRC scrutiny