Through the UKRI Funding Service, we will ease the burden of finding, applying for and managing research funding. This will enable researchers and innovators to focus more effort on their ideas, rather than funding administration.
The Independent Review of Research Bureaucracy, led by Professor Adam Tickell, highlighted the need for coordinated change across the research and innovation community. UKRI will continue to work with government and the sector to take forward the recommendations.
We will continue to engage and share experiences with the Department of Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and members of the Bureaucracy Review Reform and Implementation Network (BRRIN) to further align our approaches.
What we’re doing to reduce bureaucracy in the new Funding Service
The Funding Service is changing how UKRI manages funding opportunities, working towards greater consistency and standardisation across the research councils.
Simpler, standardised application process
For the Funding Service, one of our foundational principles is to only ask for the information that we need, when we need it. This is based on feedback from applicants who told us that in the old system more information requests were added but none taken away.
To make the Funding Service easier to use for applicants we are:
- standardising and simplifying application processes across UKRI’s research councils
- introducing consistent question sets and assessment criteria
- removing requirements for unnecessary attachments
- streamlining full economic costing rates across UKRI’s research councils to establish a harmonised and simplified costing mechanism
Managing research grants with greater flexibility
We are exploring ways to make the management of funding simpler and better for all users. We are creating every aspect of the new service following the principle of user-centred design.
We recognise the need for greater flexibility for research organisations to make changes to and manage their funding. Our team is working with users to redesign the grant management processes in the Funding Service.
Communicating with the research community
We understand the need to communicate important messages about funding to colleagues at all levels of the research community. As we introduce changes to the Funding Service, we will be clear about the changes we are making and why we are making them.
We want everyone involved to understand why they are being asked for information in funding applications, and to help research offices and applicants use the Funding Service.
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Last updated: 25 April 2025