Brit universities told to keep up the world-class research with less cash

Despite ambitions to position itself as a science and tech superpower, the UK has cut the budget for the government body responsible for university research funding.

As the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) announced nearly £14 billion ($18 billion) of R&D funding for sciences, green energy, and space "to improve lives and grow the economy," figures in its 2025-26 budget allocation reveal a slash in funding for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which hands out research grants to universities in England.

Launched in April 2018 and sponsored by DSIT, UKRI had a budget of £9.13 billion ($11.87 billion) in 2024-25. It is made up of the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England, which supports research and knowledge exchange at higher education institutions, and the UK's innovation agency, Innovate UK. It funds and supports all academic disciplines and industrial areas including medical and biological sciences, astronomy ...