Author: UKRI

The new initiative announced by the UK’s major public funder of research and innovation follows an independent review of university spin-outs, published in November 2023. A key theme emerging from the review highlighted the need for more proof-of-concept funding for academic researchers to build confidence in commercial ventures before creating a spin-out company. Critical early-stage support Working across all disciplines, this new proof-of-concept funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will provide critical early-stage support to projects. It will help researchers and innovators bridge the gap before attracting private investment, reducing the risks associated with premature market entry. Designed to…

The joint investment by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Innovate UK will support nine feasibility studies across the UK. These new awards are the follow-up stage of an already successful first round of resource-efficient or bio-based materials and manufacturing programmes in 2023. These programmes were funded by BBSRC, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Innovate UK. It will support academics and businesses to embark on new collaborations that will further advance research, innovation and commercialisation. Competing on the global stage The programmes build on the Innovate UK materials and manufacturing vision 2050 and have…

Meeting increased demand To achieve the government’s ambition to decarbonise Britain’s energy networks, we need to accelerate the connection of renewable energy sources to the grid. This will require effective planning and forecasting to meet increased demand. Supporting network planning Our newest multimillion pound beta project, Artificial Forecasting, is looking at addressing these needs. Led by Northern Powergrid, the project will expand load forecasting capability by building innovative artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. These solutions will increase the granularity of the current forecasting process to a monthly, weekly, daily and hourly level. This will support network planning and defer or avoid…

Small businesses across the country will be helped to boost their productivity and efficiency through AI tools set to be trialled. AI tools range from technology that predicts potholes before they form to AI models that help farmers make their dairy cows more productive. Testing transformative AI technology The £7 million funding comes from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Technology Missions Fund, delivered by the Innovate UK BridgeAI programme. It will help the 120 projects test potentially transformative AI technology across four high growth industry sectors which include: agri-food transport and logistics construction creative industries Solving pressing challenges Projects…

Further information The UK-Japan collaborations Engineering biology for discovery research and cross-cutting technologies In this bilateral partnership, BBSRC and JST are addressing pioneering questions that push the boundaries of engineering biology by investing in five new research projects. Each project is supported by up to £1 million funding over three years, matched with a total commitment from JST of 1.17 billion Japanese yen (JPY). The projects aim to revolutionise industries such as healthcare, biomanufacturing and agriculture. The five projects receiving funding are: Data-driven multiscale engineering of cell fate decisions Led by Professors Richard Bayliss (University of Leeds) and Mariko Okada…

The highlighted projects cover the full spectrum of UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) activities, from arts and humanities to engineering and astrophysics, from universities and businesses of all sizes, across the UK and beyond. They demonstrate the power of research and innovation to improve lives and livelihoods and to capture the public imagination. UKRI Chief Executive Ottoline Leyser said: These twelve examples show the power of UKRI’s investment to improve lives and livelihoods across the UK and beyond. From the world’s first malaria vaccination programme, to discovering long-lost shipwrecks and detecting deadly cancers in less invasive ways, they show how…

To reach government net zero ambitions by 2050 and clean power by 2030 we need to increase the pace of Great Britain’s energy network decarbonisation. These nine round four discovery projects are taking the first steps on their journey to accelerate the delivery of net zero energy networks. Grid transition The shift towards more renewable generation and low carbon technologies is driving connection applications. As these already large queues grow further, the need for efficient solutions becomes critical. FastTrack will provide an artificial intelligence (AI) solution that aims to simulate the impact of small and large-scale connection requests. This will…

The new Medical Research Council Centres of Research Excellence (MRC CoRE) will receive up to £50 million each over 14 years. The centres will build on the huge progress made in genomics, allowing the genetic basis of many diseases and processes to be identified. Advances in genome editing and other gene therapies have also made it possible to develop treatments for previously incurable conditions. The centres will take different approaches to translating the advances in genomics into therapies to treat many diseases, such as: heart disease neurodegenerative conditions like Huntington’s disease genetic causes of blindness many rare genetic diseases that…

The report draws on the Innovation State of the Nation Survey, a major new initiative from Innovate UK. The survey aims to provide the most up-to-date and comprehensive look at what life is really like for innovating businesses on an annual basis. Drawing on data provided from over 2,000 UK businesses, the new State of Innovation 2024 report provides a detailed and timely view of businesses’ innovation activities, their: priorities challenges plans for the year ahead Headline results Innovation is a strong driver of growth Despite the recent economic challenges, innovation continues to be a strong driver of growth. Businesses…

Until recently, human vaccine development has typically taken 10 to 15 years. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines like the Vaxzevria vaccine produced by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca were developed and licensed within a single year. This remarkable achievement was made possible through: the sharing of pre-existing knowledge platform delivery technologies active, positive collaboration between researchers and regulators Rapid human vaccine development map The process map includes a rapid human vaccine development (RHVD) case study created using the COVID-19 vaccine as an exemplar. It will build on this experience and use the lessons learned to: help researchers boost…