Business research and development (R&D) investment in the UK has fallen, according to new data. In real terms, investment dropped by 3% to £50 billion in 2023 compared to 2022, continuing a downward trend that has seen a decline of over 6% since 2021 - a drop of £3.4 billion in real terms.

MADRID, Spain: Dcycle, Spain's leading ESG data management platform, has closed a €6 million Series A round led by Samaipata, with continued support from existing investors Ship2B Ventures, Sabadell Venture Capital, Draper B1, Decelera Ventures, and Angels Capital.

Seneca Partners, the North West-based private equity and investment manager, has successfully exited its investment in 23.5 Degrees, the UK’s largest Starbucks franchise, generating a 7.5x return for their investors from the transaction.

carbmee, a leader in AI-powered carbon management software, has completed a €20 million funding round.

The round was led by CommerzVentures, the leading climate fintech investor, with participation from Fly Ventures and a number of angel investors This fresh infusion of capital will be used to drive product innovation and expand carbmee's reach to enterprises around the globe.

Oxford Innovation Finance's EIS Growth Fund and OION Angel Network have invested over £315,000 in Peacock Technology, a specialist in engineering and robotic automation with a focus on machine vision and AI for agriculture.  Peacock Technology develop advanced solutions, particularly in dairy farming, to improve efficiency, sustainability and animal welfare. Their services extend from design and prototyping to full-scale automation and deployment, with a strong emphasis on addressing environmental and operational challenges in food production.

Partful, the Manchester-based manufacturing aftersales technology solution provider, has raised £5 million Series A funding to develop its 3D SaaS platform and accelerate the company's growth within the $640bn aftermarket sector.

Netacea, the cybersecurity specialist that helps companies prevent online fraud by protecting them against bot attacks, has raised a further £4m from Mercia Asset Management, which is investing from its own funds and the first Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF I).

Business angels from the FSE Investor Network, in collaboration with investment funds and 

Resalis Therapeutics, which received investment from Italian Angels for Growth (IAG) in March, has announced a strategic equity investment from Sanofi. 

Dorset Business Angels (DBA), the region's leading angel investment network, hosted its final pitch event of 2024 on Monday, November 25th at the Carlton Hotel in Bournemouth. The event saw five innovative startups, two of them local to Dorset, present their investment opportunities to an audience of over 30 investors.

Scottish bio-tech Biotangents has completed a £2.3 million investment round led by Eos and British Business Investments through their Regional Angels Programme, and existing investors and Kelvin Capital and Scottish Enterprise.

Animal Health Angels, a group of veterinary and animal health professionals committed to advancing innovation in the animal health industry, has invested in SageTech Medical as part of an ambitious £650,000 seed round led by EMV Capital.

This investment supports SageTech Medical's pioneering work in developing sustainable solutions for anaesthetic gas capture and recycling-a breakthrough with implications for both human and animal healthcare.