---
title: "UK Research and Innovation"
chunk: 1/1
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Research_and_Innovation"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T04:35:17.191723+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is a non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom that directs research and innovation funding, funded through the science budget of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.


== History and role ==
UKRI was created following a report by Sir Paul Nurse, the President of the Royal Society, who recommended the merger in order to increase integrative cross-disciplinary research.
UKRI was established on 1 April 2018 by the Higher Education and Research Act 2017. It brought together the seven research councils and two additional bodies, Innovate UK and Research England. Innovate UK (formerly the Technology Strategy Board) was an arm's length body of the Department of Trade and Industry, while Research England succeeded the former Higher Education Funding Council for England. Research England is responsible for the Research Excellence Framework, or REF, and is developing a new knowledge exchange framework, KEF.
Working in partnership with universities, research organisations, businesses, charities, and government, its mission is to foster research and development within the United Kingdom and create a positive "impact"—"push the frontiers of human knowledge and understanding", "deliver economic impact", and "create social and cultural impact". The first Chief Executive Officer of UKRI was the immunologist Professor Sir Mark Walport. He was succeeded in June 2020 by plant biologist Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser.


== Councils ==


== See also ==
Advanced Research and Invention Agency
National Institute for Health and Care Research, another major UK research funding source.


== References ==


== Sources ==
"UKRI's rebrand promotes "knowledge with impact"". designweek.co.uk. 22 October 2019.


== External links ==
Official website