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SPF final evaluation: main report (PDF)
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SPF final evaluation: summary report (PDF)
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SPF final evaluation: technical annex (PDF)
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Details
The Strategic Priorities Fund (SPF) was an £831 million UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) investment designed to strengthen the UK’s research and innovation (R&I) capacity and address gaps in the research funding system. SPF aimed to improve system agility, increase support for high-quality multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research and innovation, and strengthen alignment with cross-government R&I priorities and opportunities.
SPF supported 34 programmes across a diverse range of thematic areas and stages of maturity, collectively funding 1,006 projects and wider investments such as infrastructure. Thirteen programmes were still active when fieldwork for the final evaluation took place between March and July 2025.
This final evaluation assesses the delivery, outcomes and emerging impacts of SPF using a mixed-method approach, including portfolio analysis, bibliometrics, stakeholder engagement and case studies. The evaluation presents an early assessment of outcomes, given that some programmes are still active, the last will close in 2029 to 2030, and some outcomes may take several years to materialise following programme completion.
UKRI commissioned Technopolis Group, with Science-Metrix, Ipsos MORI and CECAN, to undertake the SPF fund-level evaluation.
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Email: vanessa.soares@ukri.org