UK Research and Innovation sets out five-year strategy
The new plan seeks to make the most of the government’s £38.6bln investment.
The strategy reinforces government priorities, including artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technologies, clean energy, regional growth and innovation-led productivity
It will back businesses to start, scale and stay in the UK, and focus on leveraging at least £3 of private investment for every £1 of public funding. While maintaining the UK’s longstanding strength in curiosity-driven research.
At the same time, UKRI will reform its processes and systems to become more agile and efficient.
By 2031, the aim is to have:
- Delivered key elements of the UK Compute Roadmap, including operation of the new national supercomputing service at Edinburgh by April 2028, and implementing the new UKRI AI Strategy.
- Invested in local research and innovation, reinforcing local priorities and supporting growth across the UK.
- Supported over 20,000 new doctoral studentships across the UK and leveraged partner co-investment to grow doctoral capability in priority areas.
- Reduced grant processing times for applicants by at least 50%, including testing innovations at scale, such as distributed peer review
Alongside the strategy, UKRI has published its 2026-27 delivery plan.
This sets out the actions to deliver the new strategy and mission. It provides a framework for monitoring progress this year.
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