Measuring investment in intangible assets in the UK: results from a new survey

SUMMARYThis article presents results of the Investment in Intangible Asset (IIA) Survey launched by ONS in October 2009. It is a new and unique survey of firms in the UK, drawn from the business register to represent the market sector of the economy. The survey is aimed at measuring investment of firms in six categories of intangible assets, these are: employer funded training, software, research and development (R&D), reputation and branding, design, and business process improvement. The survey also set out to measure the life lengths of investments in each asset. The results show the overall level of intangible asset spending in the UK is considerable. The article explores the incidence, expenditure levels and life lengths of these assets.