UKRI strategic themes

Through our five-year strategy Transforming Tomorrow Together 2022 to 2027, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) aims to harness the full power of the UK’s research and innovation system to tackle large-scale, complex challenges.

To do this, we have identified five strategic themes to encourage working across disciplines and leveraging new and existing investment and activity.

We will build on these funds through contributions from our councils and other funding partners, including government departments.

Investments and activities taking place under these strategic themes complement existing UKRI and research council activities. They will deploy expertise and capability from across UKRI and the broader research community to work towards a shared common goal.

Our five strategic themes are:

Budget

UKRI intends to support an ambitious portfolio of programmes that include new interdisciplinary activity and work to amplify and connect existing UKRI investments relating to each theme.

The anticipated budget is approximately £75 million for each theme over five years.

We will build on these funds through contributions from our councils and other funding partners, including government departments.

Duration

This investment spans six years from 2023 to 2029 with an initial commitment of up to £185 million from 2023 to 2025.

Why we’re doing it

As set out in our five-year strategy we will address major national and global challenges through our strategic themes by:

  • developing more coordinated and collaborative approaches across UKRI and with our many partners, utilising the breadth of our disciplinary and sector expertise to tackle major societal challenges
  • developing funding opportunities for multidisciplinary programmes aligned to our strategic themes, seeking opportunities to coordinate and leverage additional investment with other public, private, third sector and international funders
  • building strategic international partnerships and supporting UK leadership and participation in international research and innovation programmes to address challenges on a global scale

Last updated: 18 October 2023

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