UK Research and Innovation
Public Accounts Committee
Closed
Inquiry
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is an arm’s-length body of the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). With a total annual budget of £9.6bn in 2023/24, UKRI is the UK’s largest public funder of research and innovation. Government considers R&D and new technologies to be vital to the UK’s …
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11
Recommendations
19
Conclusions
1
Report
1
Oral session
2
Letters
1
Event
Activity timeline 5 events
23 Feb
2026
2026
1 Dec
2025
2025
15 Oct
2025
2025
23 Jul
2025
2025
Report published
5 Jun
2025
2025
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
5 Jun 2025
View on parliament.uk
Alexandra Jones · Department of Science, Innovation and Technology
Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser DBE FRS · UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
Professor Paul Boyle CBE · Swansea University
Sarah Munby · Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Siobhan Peters · UKRI
Sir David Grant CBE
Reports 1 report · click to expand
| Title | HC No. | Published | Items | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41st Report - UK Research and Innovation | HC 826 | 23 Jul 2025 | 30 | Responded |
Recommendations & Conclusions
3 results
13
Conclusion
Not Addressed
41st Report - UK Research and Inno…
Long-term trends of private sector investment in UK R&I remain unavailable due to data limitations.
DSIT and UKRI advised us that private sector investment in UK R&I was £46.7 billion in 2024.27 We asked whether private investment in UK R&I has gone up or down in recent years. DSIT advised that it is going up, …
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Government Response
The government states it is developing and will publish strategic objectives and key results for UKRI by Autumn 2025 to monitor its delivery against government priorities. However, this response does not address the committee's observation about the lack of long-term private sector R&I investment data.
HM Treasury
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27
Conclusion
Not Addressed
41st Report - UK Research and Inno…
UKRI's quantum and synthetic biology investments successfully generate numerous spinouts and significant funding.
In correspondence following the session, DSIT stated that UKRI’s investment in Quantum Hubs has generated 17 spinout companies to date, 14 of which are still active. Similarly, DSIT wrote that UKRI has invested over £700m in synthetic biology R&I since …
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Government Response
The government states it agrees with a recommendation and outlines future plans for DSIT and UKRI allocations, identifying where to have the greatest impact on scaling innovation, and considering the financial sustainability of university research. However, this response does not address the conclusion, which merely presented data on spinout companies and investment.
HM Treasury
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29
Conclusion
Not Addressed
41st Report - UK Research and Inno…
UKRI plays a significant role in developing crucial skills for research commercialisation.
DSIT stressed that specific skills are needed to turn research into commercial success.78 Professor Grant told us that UKRI plays a much bigger role than people realise in building the skills of people who move from research into industry.79 UKRI …
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Government Response
The government states it agrees with a recommendation and outlines future plans for DSIT and UKRI allocations, identifying where to have the greatest impact on scaling innovation, and considering the financial sustainability of university research. However, this response does not address the conclusion, which merely summarised evidence about skills for commercial success.
HM Treasury
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Correspondence 2 letters
23 Feb 2026
To committee
Letter from the Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation relating to the Committee’s Forty-first Report on UK Research and Innovation, 17 February 2026
Parliament page
1 Dec 2025
To committee
Letter from the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero relating to an update on Treasury Minute 79, Support for innovation to deliver net zero, 19 November 2025
Parliament page