Author: UKRI

Further information

Funded projects

A Community-based diagnostiC for early airwayS disease (ACCESS)

EPSRC investment: £1.21 million

Professor Grant Ritchie of the University of Oxford is leading a project to develop a new, easier breathing test to help diagnose asthma and COPD earlier and more accurately.

Especially in people from disadvantaged communities, who often face barriers accessing hospital-based care.

The new test, called computed cardiopulmonography (CCP), is more sensitive than current methods and could spot signs of lung disease before serious damage occurs.

This project aims to make CCP quicker, more portable, and suitable for use in community settings like GP clinics.

The long-term goal is to support earlier diagnosis and treatment, helping reduce hospital visits and tackle health inequalities.

Patients will help shape the research throughout.

Partners include Asthma + Lung UK.

Screening and diagnosis on the high street: unlocking the potential of AI-enabled oculomics in the community

EPSRC investment: £1.67 million

Professor Pearse Keane of University College London is leading a project using AI to turn routine eye checks into powerful tools for detecting early signs of health conditions like heart disease and dementia.

The project builds on the exciting field of oculomics, using biomarkers in the eye to detect systemic disease.

It will enhance the accuracy of an existing AI model and create a series of diagnostic tools that are adaptable across diverse populations.

By using these AI tools to analyse retinal images during an eye test, local health providers will have the power to spot health issues sooner.

This is because far more people go for regular eye tests than attend GP health checks.

The work will also help ensure these tools are safe, clinically relevant, and ready for real-world use.

In the long run, it could mean faster diagnoses and better care for more people, closer to home.

Developing accessible electroencephalogram (EEG) solutions for earlier diagnosis and better care for suspected seizures

EPSRC investment: £1.94 million

A team led by Professor John Terry at the University of Plymouth is developing an affordable, easy-to-use brain monitoring headset.

The headset will support faster, more accessible diagnosis of suspected seizures closer to where people live.

Currently, many patients wait months for a hospital-based EEG test, delaying care and clarity, especially in rural or underserved regions.

This new community-based approach combines a wireless, dry-electrode headset with digital biomarkers.

It will help detect early signs of neurological conditions including epilepsy, functional neurological disorder (FND), and stroke from GP surgeries or even the patient’s home.

By streamlining diagnostic pathways, it aims to:

• reduce hospital visits
• lower NHS costs and carbon impact
• improve health equity, particularly for those in disadvantaged or remote areas

The project builds on prior EPSRC-funded research and collaborations with Neuronostics Ltd and is supported by a broad coalition of partners including:

• Epilepsy Action
• FND North
• NHS Cornwall & Isles of Scilly ICB
• Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
• Epilepsy Research Institute UK
• FND Action

Early community detection of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy

EPSRC investment: £1.59 million

Professor Tony Pickering of the University of Bristol is leading the SenseCheQ@Home project team.

The team is developing an easy-to-use, home-based test to help cancer patients spot early signs of nerve damage caused by chemotherapy.

Nerve damage is a common side effect that can lead to long-term pain, numbness and mobility issues.

By giving patients a simple way to track changes in their nerve function throughout treatment, the tool aims to catch problems earlier, reduce harm, and improve quality of life.

The approach also empowers people to play a more active role in their care and could one day be used for other conditions like diabetes or in testing new nerve-repair therapies.

Partners include the universities of Dundee and Newcastle, and the team will work in collaboration with Designworks an industrial design consultancy.

Enabling the early and equitable diagnosis of epilepsy in infants in the community (EPIC)

EPSRC investment: £1.99 million

Dr Javier Escudero of The University of Edinburgh is leading a project that aims to make it easier and quicker to diagnose epilepsy in children, especially severe types like infantile spasms.

The project will create a simple, portable brain-monitoring tool that can be used in local clinics or even at home.

Currently, diagnosis often requires multiple visits to hospital specialists, causing delays and distress.

By working closely with families and clinicians, the team will develop technology that uses brainwave readings and AI to detect seizures earlier and track treatment response.

The goal is to:

• reduce stress
• speed up access to care
• improve long-term outcomes for children and families across the UK

Partners include NHS Lothian as part of the project team.

Project partners providing in kind contributions include:

• UK Infantile Spasms Trust
• Epilepsy Scotland
• BrainsView
• UCB Pharma (UK)
• Epilepsy Research Institute UK
• Newcastle University
• SYNGAP1 UK

SORS in the community

EPSRC investment: £1.50 million

A third of UK adults live with musculoskeletal conditions like osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, which are the leading cause of disability and major lifestyle changes.

Dr Jemma Kerns of Lancaster University is leading a project that aims to develop a safe, portable tool that can scan bone health using light instead of X-rays.

This makes it easier to detect problems early.

The device aims to be used in easily accessible local community settings, like GP surgeries and local centres for both convenience and more regular health monitoring.

This is especially important in deprived and remote areas where people often face barriers to accessing care.

By involving patients, carers and healthcare professionals in its design, the project hopes to reduce health inequalities and improve bone health before problems become serious.

Partners include:

• University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
• UCL
• STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory as part of the project team

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced funding for a landmark investment to revolutionise how scientific evidence and research is synthesised and delivered to policymakers in the UK and worldwide.

Mobilising evidence through artificial intelligence (AI) and user-informed synthesis (METIUS) is a new infrastructure.

It aims to harness cutting-edge AI to dramatically improve the speed, relevance and accessibility of evidence synthesis for decision-makers tackling urgent challenges.

Science Minister, Lord Vallance, said:

The challenge for policymakers is often in sourcing the specific information they need from troves of research, rather than a lack of available evidence.

This UK-led project will use AI to pinpoint the information researchers need, and quickly, to improve outcomes in everything from education to justice, climate change to international development, which ultimately benefits us all.

Strengthen the UK’s position in research

Stian Westlake, Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Executive Chair, said:

AI has enormous potential to turn a mass of diffuse research into synthesised, useful summaries, which can help policy makers and practitioners deliver better outcomes for citizens.

This new infrastructure investment has the potential to transform how evidence informs policy decisions, and strengthen the UK’s position as a leader in research and innovation, driving economic growth and improving lives.

METIUS is funded by UKRI through ESRC and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) with co-funding from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

International collaboration

UKRI is spearheading a global alliance of partners, including the United Nations (UN), that has now committed $126 million to catalyse the production and use of ‘living evidence synthesis’.

This real-time aggregation of the latest scientific research will accelerate progress on the UN Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs).

Shared strategic priorities

Andrea Cook, Executive Director of the UN Sustainable Development Group System-wide Evaluation Office, said:

Access to high-quality, timely evidence is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

This initiative represents an important step forward in bridging the gap between research and policy, enabling more effective and evidence-informed decision-making globally.

The total $126 million represents combined investments from the following where the funders are aligned around shared strategic priorities:

• ESRC
• NERC
• Wellcome Trust
• DSIT
• Jacobs Foundation
• Health Research Board Ireland
• National Institute for Health Research

Bridging the evidence-policy gap

Too often, world-class research fails to reach people making critical decisions.

Despite the wealth of scientific research being produced globally, policymakers often struggle to access relevant, timely and digestible evidence when making decisions.

Recent analysis commissioned by ESRC and the Government Office for Science shows that UKRI investments alone could address 81% of priority evidence gaps identified by UK government departments.

This infrastructure will address this critical gap by combining AI capabilities with human expertise to transform how evidence is synthesised, analysed and communicated to policymakers at unprecedented speed and scale.

Transforming evidence synthesis through technology

The METIUS consortium is led by Queen’s University Belfast in collaboration with the Campbell Collaboration, the Pan-African Collective for Evidence, University College London and several other universities.

The consortium will deliver a step-change in global evidence capabilities by:

• developing and deploying a powerful integrated approach combining AI capabilities with human expertise to produce evidence syntheses more rapidly, accurately and cost-effectively
• creating innovative tools to translate complex evidence into accessible formats for policymakers
• delivering a series of exemplar projects on policy areas of national and international importance, including education, crime and justice, climate, environment and society, and international development
• strengthening global capacity for evidence-informed policymaking

Supporting global goals and national priorities

By working closely with the UN, this global infrastructure will accelerate progress towards achieving the UN SDGs.

The infrastructure will provide policymakers with the most relevant, high-quality evidence to inform decisions on pressing challenges from climate change and energy security to economic growth and social inequalities.

The investment also aligns with the UK government’s missions to drive economic growth through innovation and harness the potential of AI, ensuring the safe and ethical development of new technologies.

Global alliance

This UKRI initiative establishes an anchor investment in the Evidence Synthesis Infrastructure Collaborative (ESIC).

United by a shared vision to close the gap between research and action in the face of complex national and global challenges, this global alliance brings together:

• governments
• research funders
• evidence producers
• over 50 multilateral organisations

Co-founded with the Wellcome Trust and supported by a growing coalition of philanthropic and government funders, the alliance is building a distributed AI-enabled infrastructure dedicated to living evidence synthesis.

Building on the UK’s commitment

The initiative will build on the UK’s commitment made at the September 2024 UN Summit of the Future to use science and digital technologies to accelerate progress towards the SDGs.

ESRC has announced a further £6 million ‘challenge fund’ to support new collaborations with research funders that further the aims of ESIC.

This includes an exemplar project with the Jacobs Foundation dedicated to improving access to evidence on effective approaches to improving educational outcomes and equity in classrooms.

A UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) investment has published new evidence and a synthesis of 27 action areas that will help make the nation’s food healthier, fairer and greener.

The actions, grouped under five themes, appear alongside 12 peer-reviewed papers in a ‘Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B’ special issue published on 18 September 2025.

Programme at a glance

Launched in 2021 with a £47.5 million UKRI Strategic Priorities Fund investment, the Transforming UK Food Systems programme backs:

• 16 multi-stakeholder research projects involving 40 higher education institutes and more than 200 public, private and third sector partners
• a centre for doctoral training hosting 56 students across three cohorts
• a cross-cutting synthesis to inform policy and practice through to 2026

The mission of the five-year programme is to transform the UK food system by placing healthy people and a healthy natural environment at its centre.

Recommendations for transformation

Detailed in the final chapter of the journal are 27 recommendations for action, captured as part of five overarching themes, including the following.

Regenerative production

These include:

• support independent agronomic advice
• ‘lighthouse’ farms
• long-term (10-year plus) evidence on environmental and financial outcomes

Manufacturing and supply chains

These include:

• incentivise UK pulses
• legislate for mandatory redistribution of surplus and waste food
• back place-based logistics and digital platforms

Food environments

These include:

• scale supermarket interventions
• expand vouchers
• standardise simple health-and-environment labels
• reformulate menus in public sector catering

Empowered communities

These include:

• strengthen social enterprise models
• rebalance supply-chain power toward producers
• make co-production the norm in local decision-making

Policy and governance

These include:

• apply systems approaches to public procurement
• improve national-local delivery
• explore a cross-government food systems body and an open evidence centre

Selected research highlights

Some of the programme’s highlights, which could offer timely evidence and recommendations for consideration as the government’s food strategy develops, include the following.

Healthier school breakfasts

Trials show children accept higher-fibre bread when it’s offered. Simple tweaks could help close the around 6g average ‘fibre gap’ in UK school children’s intake.

Make healthy food more affordable

Expand voucher schemes for low-income households to improve access to affordable, healthy and more sustainable options.

Clear, combined labels at a glance

A new ‘Sus-Health Index’ could standardise and simplify food labelling to provide a pragmatic indicator of a food or meal’s combined nutritional and environmental value to guide shoppers.

Make surplus food work harder

Move from guidance to legislation so usable waste food is redistributed by default to disadvantaged groups, potentially helping thousands of families.

Lower-carbon hospital meals, with no recipe changes needed

Smartly swapping dishes on menus could cut carbon emissions from meals by around 19.5% and reduce saturated fat by around 15.7% across NHS sites.

Put more UK-grown pulses on plates

Incentivise British beans and peas which are healthier, climate-friendly and offer a boost for UK farmers.

Addressing major challenges

Professor Guy Poppy, Director of the UKRI Transforming UK Food Systems programme and Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University of Bristol, said:

Food is at the heart of our health, our environment and our economy.

These recommendations show the UK can act now, with practical steps that make food fairer, greener and more resilient.

Getting food right can help address some of the biggest challenges of our times, increasing productivity, reducing climate change and tackling obesity.

Cutting-edge research

Professor Anjali Goswami, Fellow of the Royal Society and Chief Scientific Advisor at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said:

We have welcomed the opportunity to work with UKRI throughout the development and delivery of this cutting-edge research programme.

The programme highlights the importance of research in understanding the complexities of the food system, and we look forward to engaging further as we continue to develop implementation plans for the food strategy.

Why it matters

Food drives health outcomes, contributes to climate and nature pressures and shapes lives and livelihoods.

The programme’s place-based, co-produced evidence offers practical routes for governments, retailers, caterers and communities to act now while building capacity for long-term systems change.

The ambitious Transforming UK Food Systems programme has five main goals:

• help people in the UK eat diets that are both healthier and better for the planet
• support changes in behaviour across the food system, from farmers and manufacturers to retailers and consumers
• join up research on how food is produced, sold and eaten so that healthier choices also support sustainable farming
• bring researchers and food system stakeholders together to design solutions side by side
• train the next generation of experts who can take a big-picture, cross-disciplinary view of the food system

The power of collaboration

The programme brings together researchers, policymakers, businesses, charities and communities to co-develop practical solutions that can make a real difference.

By working in this way, the programme aims to deliver a food system that works better for people, the economy and the planet.

One that is healthy, fair and sustainable.

Read the ‘Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B’ special edition

Seventy-seven talented early-career researchers have been awarded a total of £120 million to lead vital research, collaborate with innovators and develop their careers as the research and innovation leaders of the future.

UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) flagship Future Leaders Fellowships (FLF) fund allows universities and businesses to develop talented early career researchers and innovators and attract new people to their organisations, including from overseas.

Out of the successful applications, 13 projects are led by businesses and funded by Innovate UK.

Long-term support for fellows

The FLF scheme provides long-term (up to seven years) fellowship support to early career researchers.

This enables them to tackle ambitious programmes or multidisciplinary questions, and new or emerging research and innovation areas and partnerships.

To support excellent research and innovation wherever it arises and to facilitate movement of people and projects between sectors, FLF fellows are based in the most appropriate environment for their projects, including:

• universities
• businesses
• charities
• other independent research organisations

The fellowship allows the individual to devote their time to tackle challenging research and innovation problems and to develop their careers as they become the next wave of world-class research and innovation leaders.

The fellowship also allows recipients access to the FLF Development Network, which provides:

• specialised leadership training
• access to networks
• workshops
• mentors
• one-to-one coaching
• opportunities for additional seed-funding for collaborative projects

Successful projects

This round’s list of successful projects include:

Creating a social media observatory at Royal Holloway University of London, to study the moderation of political content within and across social media platforms. This project is led by Dr Andreu Casas Salleras.

Research into how our immune system’s inflammation response may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, at Cardiff University. The project is led by Dr Wioleta Zelek.

Research at The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre to enable interoperability for:

• better data sharing across global supply chains
• unlocking the potential for driving innovation
• increasing productivity, generating turnover
• creating high-skilled jobs
• reducing carbon emissions

The project is led by Jonathan Eyre.

A new laboratory at University College London is studying the biological changes which take place before lung cancer tumours start to grow, and possible new treatments to prevent tumour growth. This project is led by Dr Deborah Caswell.

Transcending disciplinary and sector boundaries

Frances Burstow, Director of Talent and Skills at UKRI, said:

UKRI’s Future Leaders Fellowships provide researchers and innovators with long-term support and training to embark on large and complex research programmes, to address key national and global challenges.

The programme supports the research and innovation leaders of the future to transcend disciplinary and sector boundaries, bridging the gap between academia and business.

The fellows announced today demonstrate how UKRI supports excellence across the entire breadth of its remit, supporting early-career researchers to lessen the distance from discovery to real world impact.

Turning bold ideas into innovations

UKRI Chief Executive, Professor Sir Ian Chapman, said:

UKRI’s Future Leaders Fellowships offer long-term support to outstanding researchers, helping them turn bold ideas into innovations that improve lives and livelihoods in the UK and beyond.

These fellowships continue to drive excellence and accelerate the journey from discovery to public benefit. I wish them every success.

We’re making these changes to make it easier for researchers to apply for Medical Research Council (MRC) applicant-led responsive funding through our research boards.

This ensures we continue to take the best approach to fund research that makes a difference.

Our research boards are:

• Infections and Immunity
• Molecular and Cellular Medicine
• Neurosciences and Mental Health
• Population and Systems Medicine

Simplified application process

The first change simplifies our application process by introducing a single, more flexible research grant.

This replaces the previous programme and research grant schemes and will support ambitions across scales.

Researchers will be able to apply for the funding and duration they need, without having to choose between different schemes.

A single, flexible research grant

Using the updated research grant, applicants can request funding for smaller, focused projects to larger, multi-dimensional programmes of work.

The typical full economic cost of awards can range from around £400,000 to £3 million or more.

What’s changing

The changes include:

• one grant type for all research, lasting between 18 and 60 months
• no mandatory pre-application stage
• applicants seeking larger scale funding (over £3 million) or short-term proof-of-principle work (18 to 24 months) should contact us before applying

What’s not changing

We remain committed to funding a balanced portfolio of diverse, ambitious, high-quality research that makes a real difference to understanding human health and disease and how to diagnose, treat and prevent it.

Moving to always-open funding opportunities

Our second change is to update our research board funding opportunities.

Instead of fixed deadlines, from mid-December these opportunities will be always-open with no closing dates.

We’re making this change to:

• enhance flexibility for applicants and allow them to submit applications at a time that best suits them
• better manage workloads for applicants, board members and MRC staff
• align with UK Research and Innovation’s approach to applicant-led funding with no closing dates

New approach launch

The final round of board funding opportunities under the previous approach closed on 4 September 2025, with decisions planned for March 2026.

The new always-open approach will launch towards the end of the year when we will also provide an update on timelines for decision making.

Help and support

If you have questions about these changes or how they might affect your application, email [email protected]

We’re happy to help and provide advice.

We’ve also contacted research offices across UK universities to make them aware of these updates.

If you’re based at a university, your research support team may be able to offer additional guidance.

From artificial intelligence transforming workplaces to climate protests reshaping politics, social scientists are uncovering the forces that define modern Britain. Now everyone in the UK can discover these insights first-hand.

Forty-one universities and research organisations will open their doors from 18 October to 8 November to reveal how social science research influences everything from government policy to workplace culture.

The future of work under the microscope

This year’s festival puts particular focus on our rapidly changing working lives.

As artificial intelligence reshapes entire industries and remote work becomes the norm, social scientists are exploring what these transformations mean for workers, families and communities.

Stian Westlake, ESRC Executive Chair, said:

The ESRC Festival of Social Science showcases how the research we fund helps bring about positive change across society, the economy, and individual lives. With hundreds of free events across the UK and online, we hope you enjoy exploring the vital work of the UK’s world-class social scientists.

Understanding our changing world

The festival will tackle the big questions facing society today. How technology can be used for good or cause harm? What drives economic inequality? How can employers support wellbeing in the workplace?

These aren’t abstract academic puzzles.

They’re the challenges that affect us all, whether we’re parents worried about our children’s futures, workers navigating career changes, or citizens trying to make sense of a complex world.

Events will be available online and in person, designed for everyone from curious teenagers to lifelong learners.

Festivalgoers can get creative, entertain the kids, watch a performance or learn about the latest research on a topic they’re passionate about.

Amplifies the voice of citizens

The festival demonstrates how social science:

• amplifies the voice of citizens
• helps real people to be heard
• recognises trends
• uncovers new insights
• improves understanding of human behaviour
• influences policy and practices that can improve our lives and help the UK to flourish

The £42.8 million Generation New Era birth cohort study will create a comprehensive picture of early childhood in all four nations of the UK.

The study is funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Infrastructure Fund and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It is the first new UK-wide longitudinal birth cohort study in 25 years and comes as the government publishes its ‘Giving every child the best start in life’ policy paper.

UK Science Minister Lord Vallance said:

This first in a generation study will help us understand what childhood is like in 21st century Britain. The results will help us focus on the best interests of newborns across the UK as we deliver our Plan for Change, breaking down the barriers to opportunities by revamping our education systems, healthcare facilities, and more.

Extending the UK’s birth cohort tradition

Generation New Era is part of a long UK tradition of research council-funded longitudinal birth cohort studies. These studies have followed the lives of tens of thousands of people over the past eight decades and led to significant medical and policy impacts.

These include the ESRC-funded 1958 National Child Development Study, 1970 British Cohort Study and Millennium Cohort Study, as well as the Medical Research Council-funded Children of the 90s study.

These studies have shaped the thinking of successive governments, informing a raft of important policies to improve the provision of services for early years, health, education and employment.

Evidence improving lives

They have produced evidence that has improved lives across the UK and beyond, including:

• cutting maternal smoking rates by over two-thirds by establishing its harmful effects on unborn children
• preventing over 100,000 cot deaths worldwide using data gathered through research on infant sleeping positions
• providing data that led to a 13% rise in adult literacy rates through the Skills for Life initiative
• providing evidence that led to the extension of maternity leave to one year, and the introduction of paid paternity leave, adoption leave, the right to request flexible working and shared parental leave

Making the UK happier, healthier and fairer

ESRC Executive Chair Stian Westlake said:

The UK has a proud and rich tradition of genuinely world-leading longitudinal cohort research that has produced major policy improvements covering everything from saving the lives of the youngest and most vulnerable children to improving women’s pension rights and recognising the lifelong importance of literacy.

This is the latest in a series of UKRI research infrastructure investments supporting longitudinal population studies, and the first new UK wide child-based study in 20 years.

I am excited to see what Generation New Era will discover about the lives of children born next year and how they differ across the UK.

The evidence this study produces can underpin policy that makes the UK a happier, healthier and fairer place, improving lives and livelihoods. It is an investment in the future that we are proud to make.

The study will start inviting families to take part in the study from summer 2026.

Previous cohort findings

The UK has a long tradition of cohort studies, with UKRI’s portfolio including projects tracking generations born in:

• 1946
• 1958
• 1970
• 1989 to 1990
• 1990 to 1991
• 2000 to 2002

These studies provide vital data for global researchers, influencing science, policy and practice. For example, the Millennium Cohort Study revealed in 2016 that one in four girls reported symptoms of depression at age 14, prompting new government strategies.

Other findings include the educational disadvantage faced by summer-born children and the long-term effects of childhood obesity. The work UKRI funds continues to support world-leading research with significant societal impact.

A new generation

Generation New Era will be jointly led by Co-Directors Professor Alissa Goodman and Professor Lisa Calderwood of the University College London (UCL) Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS) and Professor Pasco Fearon of the University of Cambridge.

It will collect data at two key developmental stages, between nine to 11 months and again at three to four years, providing crucial insights before children enter formal education.

The research will examine physical, mental and social development, and explore how technological, environmental and social changes affect early childhood experiences.

The intention is that Generation New Era will track these children and their families throughout their lives.

Vital data on the lives of children and families

Generation New Era Co-Director, Professor Alissa Goodman from the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies, said:

We are extremely excited and immensely proud to announce the launch of the first new UK-wide birth cohort in a quarter of a century. Generation New Era is a landmark scientific endeavour which will improve the lives of children and benefit science and society for many years to come.

In such a rapidly changing world, it is vital to have rich data on the lives of children and families, especially those from disadvantaged and less often heard groups.

Standing on the shoulders of the UK’s famous birth cohort studies, which have tracked multiple generations of people over the past eight decades, Generation New Era will aim to shine a light on the biggest challenges facing our society today.

As the government works to give every child the best start in life, the study can help shape vital policies and services for babies and parents across the UK. Thanks to the commitment of our participants, we can support the health and development of this new generation of babies – and help future generations thrive.

Pan-UK data

This truly four-nations cohort study will benefit from the expertise of senior academics from Swansea University, Ulster University, and The University of Edinburgh. It aims to recruit 30,000 children and families from across the UK, inviting over 60,000 to participate.

The study will focus on engaging fathers and underrepresented groups to ensure diverse representation. It will collect data from all four nations of the UK, with sample boosts for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, ethnic minorities, and low-income families.

This inclusive approach will enable statistically robust comparisons and generate insights into what works best to improve lives and livelihoods across the UK’s varied communities.

Benefits for policy and practice

The findings generated by the study will directly inform policy development across government departments, helping to ensure services and support for families are based on robust evidence.

Key benefits include:

• providing policymakers with current data on the needs of pre-school children growing up in today’s rapidly changing world
• identifying how to improve health, educational, social and economic outcomes for all children
• ensuring the voices and experiences of previously underrepresented groups are captured and heard
• supporting the evaluation of early years policies and programmes
• advancing sampling and data collection methodologies for future research

The UK research community, parent and participant groups and other stakeholders will have the opportunity to engage with the study team in the autumn. They will help inform the questionnaire design and plans to ensure the success of the study.