UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) hosted the Innovation for Growth summit at the Science Museum today, bringing together 330 leading researchers, innovators, and business leaders from across the UK and beyond.
The event included speeches by Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) Secretary of State, Liz Kendall and UKRI Chief Executive Professor Sir Ian Chapman.
There were also panel sessions featuring Science Minister, Lord Patrick Vallance and Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, among others.
New strategic direction
In his speech, Ian Chapman set out a new strategic direction that will see UKRI take a more choiceful approach to its investments.
UKRI will prioritise areas where the UK can be world-leading and work closely with business.
New priority areas
Ian also announced that UKRI’s funding would be divided into three priority areas over the next spending review period running until 2030.
These are:
- £8 billion on targeted research and development (R&D) addressing national and societal priorities, including clean energy, health resilience and national security
- £7 billion will support innovative company growth, helping UK businesses scale and commercialise cutting-edge technologies
- £14 billion for the curiosity driven research that underpins the UK R&D system
The rest of UKRI’s record £38.6 billion settlement will be used for foundational investments that cut across these three areas, including in skills and infrastructure.
Read Ian Chapman’s speech from the event: Ian Chapman sets out UKRI’s new strategic direction for growth.
Further announcements
Also announced at the summit were:
- the first three researchers relocating to the UK through the £54 million Global Talent Fund
- £4.5 million of further investment in Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation Awards
- the launch of the competition to find the next chair of UKRI’s Board as Sir Andrew Mackenzie’s term comes to an end
- setting UK researchers two ambitious challenges as part of the R&D Missions Accelerator Programme, backed by £4 million in the first year
- a trebling of the government’s investment in the UK’s world-leading Metascience Unit to £49 million
For more information on these announcements and Secretary of State Kendall’s speech, see DSIT’s press release: More targeted R&D investment towards driving UK growth and jobs unveiled by Technology Secretary.
Priority programmes
In support of the Industrial Strategy and government’s priorities, UKRI is establishing a new suite of priority programmes, each led by a UKRI executive chair as the programme’s ‘responsible owner’.
These priority programmes will become UKRI’s main way of delivering research and innovation aligned to government priorities and economic opportunities.
