<2>UKRI Changes Explained: An Upheaval in Priorities and a “Pause” in Funding Applications
<3>The Science Funding Body’s Shift in Focus
The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is a conglomerate of seven research councils, including the Medical Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. Prior to Christmas, UKRI announced its allocation of the four-year £38.6bn government funding to the various councils through three priority “buckets.”
<4 href='https://who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/world-health-organization' target='_blank'>WHO’s Global Health Priorities have been a driving force behind the funding decisions. The three priority “buckets” are as follows:
* £8bn for targeted research and development addressing national and societal priorities
* £7bn to commercialise cutting-edge technologies
* £14bn for “curiosity-driven research”
<5 href='https://nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05369-9' target='_blank'>Nature’s Latest Research has highlighted the importance of curiosity-driven research in advancing scientific knowledge.
However, the announcement of the funding allocation has led to unexpected funding cuts and grant funding “pauses” across several UKRI