UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has initiated a significant restructuring of its investment approach for the 2026 to 2030 spending review period, resulting in the temporary suspension of several major grant schemes. Chief Executive Ian Chapman stated that the new model is designed to ensure the organisation’s £8 billion annual budget delivers maximum public impact by focusing on national priorities and economic growth.
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has confirmed a delay of approximately eight weeks in the launch of its Prosperity Partnership scheme, which is now expected to open in April 2026. This follows existing pauses to the EPSRC programme grant scheme in critical areas such as quantum technologies, energy, decarbonisation, and manufacturing.
The Medical Research Council (MRC) has also paused numerous funding opportunities, including applicant-led research grants, partnership grants, and new investigator awards. Several translational schemes, such as the developmental pathway funding scheme and experimental medicine grants, are currently unavailable. While the MRC expects to reopen these opportunities in the summer, it has warned that a reduced number of awards will be made for applications currently being assessed. Decisions for those under review are expected in April.
Similarly, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) has halted its applicant-led responsive funding. This move aligns with a broader shift to the UKRI funding model, which includes the removal of fixed closing dates for applications. BBSRC is expected to reopen its applications within a few weeks.
The restructure organises investment into three primary "buckets": curiosity-driven research, strategic government and social priorities, and support for innovative companies. Although UKRI has committed 50% of its budget to curiosity-driven research, this funding is set to remain at flat cash levels, effectively resulting in a real-terms decrease over time. Meanwhile, there is a heightened emphasis on commercialisation, with Innovate UK expected to support fewer companies but with higher levels of individual investment.
The transition has drawn criticism from the research community over a perceived lack of transparency and fears regarding the future of basic science. Beyond the grant pauses, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) must find £162 million in savings by 2029-30 due to inflationary pressures and rising energy costs. UKRI maintains that these "hard decisions" are essential to focus resources more effectively.