UK Research and Innovation

Connects United Kingdom Research and Innovation, the United Kingdom structure coordinating councils, Innovate United Kingdom, and Research England.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is the umbrella organisation for the UK's nine major public research and innovation funders, including the seven research councils plus Research England and Innovate UK. It was founded in April 2018, is sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and its budget is rising from about £8.8 billion in 2025-26 to about £9.2 billion in 2026-27, with a trajectory toward roughly £10 billion a year by 2030.

UKRI is the layer that matters when a call spans disciplines or sectors that a single council cannot cover on its own. Its cross-council portfolio includes Future Leaders Fellowships, the International Science Partnerships Fund, Gambling Harms Research Grants, the Cross Research Council Responsive Mode Pilot Scheme, and Harmonised Impact Acceleration Accounts. Future Leaders Fellowships alone carries a £110 million fund, 80% full economic cost support, award values from about £300,000 to more than £2 million, and funding that can run for up to seven years.

From April 2026, UKRI is reorganising funding into curiosity-driven research, strategic priorities, supporting innovative companies, and essential capabilities, while five strategic themes continue to steer interdisciplinary investment. Most calls on the UKRI site are still delivered through individual councils, so the central body acts as coordinator, budget holder, and policy setter rather than as the only point of entry. That makes it the natural route for researchers and companies whose work cuts across biology, engineering, climate, quantum, health, or manufacturing.