UKRI Unveils Record £38.6 Billion Investment Plan with New ‘Bucket’ Funding Model
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced its most significant funding overhaul since its inception, detailing how £38.6 billion will be invested between 2026 and 2030. The plan follows the UK government’s 2025 Spending Review, which committed a record £86 billion to public R&D across the spending period.
The new "agile" model organises funding into three primary "buckets" designed to align more closely with national priorities and ensure public money delivers maximum impact.
The Three Priority Buckets
1. Curiosity-driven, foundational research: This bucket receives the largest allocation of £14.5 billion. It aims to sustain the UK’s R&D leadership by supporting applicant-led discovery and quality-related (QR) funding for universities.
2. Strategic government and societal priorities: Allocated £8.3 billion, this bucket focuses on targeted R&D with measurable impacts. It includes support for R&D Missions, large-scale supercomputing in Edinburgh, and addressing challenges like climate adaptation and national security.
3. Supporting innovative companies: With an investment of £7.4 billion, this pillar is designed to help firms start, scale, and remain in the UK. It seeks to leverage private sector investment, targeting an average ratio of £3 of private investment for every £1 of public money.
An additional £8.4 billion has been earmarked for enabling and strengthening the R&D ecosystem. This funding will support essential infrastructure, talent development, and international partnerships that underpin the three primary buckets.
Strategic Growth and University Support
A major focus of the new programmatic approach is the support of eight Modern Industrial Strategy high-growth sectors, including AI, Life Sciences, and Advanced Manufacturing. For instance, AI alone is set to receive over £1.5 billion in combined investment from the strategic and innovation buckets.
Universities are expected to be the key beneficiaries of this growing investment, as they continue to receive the large majority of UKRI funding. While some specific funding lines will be phased out or moved between buckets to increase coherence, UKRI maintains that the overall level of funding available to researchers and innovators will increase.
UKRI will manage these budgets dynamically, allowing for flexibility to respond to emerging opportunities. Further details on delivery plans for these prioritised outcomes are expected to be published in spring 2026.
Detail about the UKRI budget allocations can be found here: Budget allocations for UK Research and Innovation – UKRI
