UK Research and Innovation

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 26 Mar 2025 Closed: 22 Sep 2025 Parliament page
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 … Read more
10 Recommendations
20 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
2 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 6 events
23 Feb
2026
Correspondence
1 Dec
2025
Correspondence
15 Oct
2025
Report published
23 Jul
2025
Report published
5 Jun
2025
Oral evidence
5 Jun
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
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
Title HC No. Published Items Response
41st Report - UK Research and Innovation HC 826 23 Jul 2025 30 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
5 results
Clear
8 Conclusion
41st Report - UK Research and Inno…
Require UKRI to balance long-term and short-term research and innovation funding needs.
UKRI must also balance meeting the UK’s longer and shorter-term research and innovation needs when deciding where to allocate funding. It faces an inherent tension in allocating funding with government priorities in mind, while not stifling the innovation needed for … Read more
HM Treasury
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9 Conclusion
41st Report - UK Research and Inno…
UKRI demonstrates a wide-ranging role supporting government R&I across multiple departments.
DSIT told us that it asks UKRI to work closely with departments, such as the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, ensure governmental R&I work is joined up.14 The NAO found … Read more
HM Treasury
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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, … Read more
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
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 … Read more
HM Treasury
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29 Conclusion
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 … Read more
HM Treasury
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Government Response AI assessment · 26 of 10 classified
Accepted 24
Acknowledged 1
Not Addressed 1
Total 10 recs + 20 conclusions
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