While the Government is thinking about the best way to establish a new UK research funding agency and acting on its pledge to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy in the UK research and innovation system, it is a good time for it to reflect on the bureaucratic constraints that apply to the funding bodies operating under the UKRI framework. It is right that UKRI is held accountable for the public money it spends, but the temptation to micromanage it must be considered alongside its need to operate in an agile and efficient way—for example regarding decisions on which projects should be started or stopped—and its potential, through the coordination of interdisciplinary research and innovation efforts, to strategically tackle the large- scale national challenges facing the UK. The Government’s policy paper on reducing the bureaucratic burden in research is a step in the right direction.