UKRI’s Innovation for Growth Summit held on Monday 17 November was Professor Sir Ian Chapman's first major event as the new CEO of UKRI. UKRI's funding will be split into three ‘buckets’ under headings identified in the organisation's new mission statement ‘Advancing Knowledge, Improving Lives, Driving Growth’. These cover curiosity-led research, targeted research focusing on government priorities, and support for innovative companies. The remainder of UKRI's budget will go to cross-cutting investment supporting the R&D system, including national science infrastructure and skills development.
The overall approach was described as more interventionalist than in the past, making active choices on areas to support rather than spreading investments thinly over a large portfolio.
Curiosity-led research will be backed by ringfenced investment of £14 billion. This will be distributed by Research Councils, supporting discovery research and the future R&D pipeline. Currently, it is unclear how this amount compares to previous years and allocations for Research Councils will not be published until later this year. Throughout the summit, there was also a strong focus on collaboration.
Last updated: Wednesday 27 November 2025