Hear from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) CEO, Ian Chapman, and council executive chairs reflecting on their stakeholder conversations on UKRI’s new strategy.
Ian Chapman, UKRI CEO
Ian reflects on his engagement at Daresbury. He discusses the importance of co-creating programmes with local partners, focusing on long-term planning, and how UKRI aims to turn research into innovation and economic growth.
Video credit: UKRI
Video transcript and on-screen captions are available by watching on YouTube.
Tom Adeyoola, Executive Chair of Innovate UK
Tom reflects on his engagement at Yorkshire and Humber, focusing on the importance of working with local communities to support regional innovation.
Video credit: UKRI
Video transcript and on-screen captions are available by watching on YouTube.
Charlotte Deane, Executive Chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Charlotte share insights from her engagement at Spark in Cardiff with stakeholders across Wales. She highlights how UKRI can turn knowledge into practical solutions, drive growth, and ensure its work benefits communities across the UK.
Video credit: UKRI
Video transcript and on-screen captions are available by watching on YouTube.
Anne Ferguson-Smith, Executive Chair of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Anne discusses her conversations with stakeholders across the East of England. She emphasises the importance of investing in curiosity-driven research, prioritising work and strengthening international collaboration through UKRI’s cross-council programmes.
Video credit: UKRI
Video transcript and on-screen captions are available by watching on YouTube.
Michele Dougherty, Executive Chair of the Science and Technology Facilities Council
Michele talks about her engagement at the University of Bath with stakeholders from the South West. She highlights the importance of civic engagement, prioritising work at the right scale and making sure the new UKRI strategy meets local needs.
Video credit: UKRI
Video transcript and on-screen captions are available by watching on YouTube.
Stian Westlake, Executive Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council
Stian shares insights from his event with stakeholders in Northern Ireland. He shares insights on what makes the region’s research and innovation system distinctive, the support needed for it to flourish and the importance of strengthening local partnerships.
Video credit: UKRI
Video transcript and on-screen captions are available by watching on YouTube.
Patrick Chinney, Executive Chair of the Medical Research Council
Patrick shares the key insights from our recent engagement event at the Frances Crick Institute, which brought together stakeholders from across the South East and London to exchange ideas on UKRI’s new strategy.
Key takeaways from the day’s conversations included:
- enthusiasm for the strategy
- the importance of thinking about the value and impact of the research and innovation we do for the public
- the importance of training the next generation of researchers and innovators
Video credit: UKRI
Video transcript and on-screen captions are available by watching on YouTube.
Jessica Corner, Executive Chair of Research England
Research England Executive Chair, Professor Dame Jessica Corner, was at Birmingham City University for an engaging conversation with our Midlands stakeholders on UKRI’s strategy.
Themes from the discussion include:
- support for the direction of our strategy and the importance of future proofing it
- seeing priority ‘buckets’ as inter-connected rather than siloed
- the need to also recognise and strengthen the role large industry partners play in collaborating with universities
Video credit: UKRI
Video transcript and on-screen captions are available by watching on YouTube.
Christopher Smith, Executive Chair of the Arts and Humanities Research Council
Christopher reflects on our engagement at the University of Newcastle with North East stakeholders on our strategy.
The discussion was positive, exploring distinctive opportunities in the North East, covering areas in health, advanced materials manufacturing and space.
Highlights include how investments and the strengths of universities and businesses come together to advance knowledge, change lives and drive economic growth
Challenges were also discussed, including scaling businesses and moving funding efficiently.
Video credit: UKRI
Video transcript and on-screen captions are available by watching on YouTube.
Louise Heathwaite, Executive Chair of the Natural Environment Research Council
Louise reflects on her recent engagement with our communities in Scotland during her visit to Glasgow.
Themes from their discussion include:
- the future of curiosity-driven research
- the importance of investing in place to get the best ideas
- building expertise through collaboration at scale
- learning from communities that we work in
Video credit: UKRI
Video transcript and on-screen captions are available by watching on YouTube.
Last updated: 1 April 2026