Appendix: Data methodology

A1 Introduction

This appendix provides a detailed overview of the data sources, collection methods, processing steps, analytical techniques, assumptions and limitations used in this report. This information is crucial for understanding the context and reliability of the data presented in the graphics.

A2 Data sources

Academic grant funding: Data was sourced from Dimensions for all grants starting between 2021 and 2023.
Business funding: Data was sourced from CB Insights for total funding from 2021 to 2023.

A3 Data collection methods

Data was collected based on the following criteria:

Geographical scope: For academic grant funding, the location of the primary affiliated institutions of the grantees was used. For funding data, the location of the companies that received funding was considered.
Time period: Data was collected for the period from January 2021 to December 2023.
Industry scope: Specific technology sectors were analysed using key phrase matches against titles and abstracts of grants and funding records.

A4 Data processing

The following steps were taken to process the data:

Cleaning and preparation: Grants with no funding amounts were excluded from the counts and sums. Similarly, data entries without relevant funding amounts were excluded from the analysis.
Transformation: Key phrase matching was performed against titles and abstracts to identify relevant records.
Software and tools: Data processing was conducted using software tools such as Python for data cleaning and transformation.

A5 Analytical techniques

The following analytical techniques and methodologies were employed:

Statistical methods: Analysis of the number
of grants and total funding amounts by region and industry.
Visualization tools: Visualizations were created using CB Insights to illustrate funding trends by geography and industry.

A6 Assumptions and limitations

Assumptions: It was assumed that the data provided by Dimensions and CB Insights is accurate and up-to-date as of the run date.
Limitations: Potential biases exist due to the exclusion of grants and funding records with no funding amounts. The availability and granularity of data may vary across different regions and industries.

A7 References

Dimensions Database, 2024. Data retrieved on 24/04/24.
CB Insights Database, 2024. Data retrieved on 24/04/24.

TABLE 1: Key phrase matches for tech sectors