More targeted R&D investment towards driving UK growth and jobs unveiled by Technology Secretary

UKRI will deploy significant taxpayer backing to support government priorities, investing billions in UK expertise and innovation for growth and renewal.

Record public research funding will be explicitly directed towards supporting promising scale-ups, turbocharging economic growth and job opportunities through our Modern Industrial Strategy, and improving lives, as part of a shake-up of public R&D announced today. The move reinforces the government’s push for national renewal, a Britain built for all, and a fairer economy that works for and rewards working people - work which will be further cemented through announcements at the Budget, later this week.

Addressing research funders and major business leaders from the UK and beyond, the Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said today (Monday 24 November) that public R&D funding had for too long been spread thinly across multiple priorities and projects and now was time for ‘doing fewer things, better’. She outlined a ‘no-compromise’ approach that prioritises funding for the companies with the highest potential to grow into industry titans and into the sectors where the UK already retains a competitive advantage. Setting these priorities clearly, will support the national effort to build strong foundations for our economy and secure our country’s future.