UK Research and Innovation allocates £38.6bln investment
Funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will be split across priority sectors linked to the government’s Industrial Strategy.
At the Innovation for Growth Summit, Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall and UKRI CEO Ian Chapman set out the organisation’s plans.
The priority ‘buckets’ include:
- £8bln towards targeted R&D to address national and societal priorities, such as clean energy, health resilience and national security.
- £7bln for innovative company growth to help UK businesses scale and commercialise technologies.
- £14bln to support ‘curiosity-driven’ research underpinning the UK’s R&D system.
- And the rest (£9.9bln) allocated to foundational investments – such as skills and infrastructure – that cut across these three areas.
The explainer, published on the UKRI website, provides a breakdown of the allocations for financial years 2026-27 through to 2029-30.
