Intangible asset investment reached £133 billion in 2014, according to research by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO).

Intangible assets include spending on R&D, software and design.

The figure was 9% higher than tangible asset investment such as a property, machinery and IT.

Investment in tangible assets grew by 38%, from £87.9 billion to £121 billion between 2011 and 2014.

Further findings:

• Manufacturing and financial services accounted for 58% of intangible investment
• 53% of intangible investments were protected by Intellectual Property Rights – a 3% increase from 2011
• Of those assets, 25% were protected by copyright, 11% by trademarks, 11% by design rights and 6% by patents.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe, minister of State for Energy and Intellectual Property, said:

“Our intellectual property regime has helped create an environment in which innovators and creators can prosper knowing full well that their hard work will be rewarded and rigorously protected.”

Tony Rollins, President of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, commented:

“Investment in the protection of intellectual property is a vital driver of economic growth: it helps to maximise profits which fund further research and development into new ideas.”