The government has announced £150 million to will support three key projects across healthcare, clean energy, and the development of state-of-the-art materials.
The investment is part of UKRI’s record £38 billion funding settlement, which will specifically target curiosity-driven research, R&D addressing government priorities, and support for innovative companies to start, scale and stay in the UK.
Science Minister Lord Vallance said: "Britain has world-class researchers and a proud history of turning insight and ideas into innovation. Our job is to make sure those ideas don’t just stay in the lab, but become the treatments, technologies and products that improve lives in hospitals, homes and communities across the country.
"Government investment in projects like these - from helping to spot diseases earlier and developing new cancer therapies to taking advantage of our coastline to power the nation - will make a real difference to people and spark the economic growth hardworking communities deserve.
"This represents British research at its best - bringing together ideas, expertise, and technical know-how and turning it into impact."
£55 million has been allocated to a medical imaging programme to support the treatment and diagnoses of cancer.
The medical imaging programme will create ‘Centres of Imaging Excellence’ in England, Scotland and Wales, bringing together the latest scanning technology with clinical expertise to unlock new insights into how diseases develop and why some infections resist drugs.
Dr Zubir Ahmed, Health Innovation Minister, said: "After 20 years of frontline NHS experience, I know how vital it is that cancer is caught early to give patients a fighting chance.
"Cutting edge research like this could save lives by giving patients faster diagnoses and individually-tailored treatments.
"This is another step on our journey to shift our NHS from analogue to digital, as part of our 10 Year Health Plan."
£15 million will be spent on a coastal project to help generate reliable, clean power. Blue Horizon will expand the European Marine Energy Centre’s world-leading tidal test facilities in Orkney, meaning more companies can trial their turbines in real world conditions.
It is hoped this investment will bring tidal energy closer to becoming a mainstream part of Britain’s energy mix, creating skilled jobs in coastal communities and supporting the government’s mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower.
£80 million will be invested into a National Materials Innovation Programme (NMIP). The government has said that Britain has world-leading researchers developing these materials, but promising discoveries too often end up manufactured abroad. It is hoped the funding will help UK innovations reach market faster and keeping production in Britain.
Mike Biddle, Executive Director Net Zero at Innovate UK, said: "Working alongside Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will help establish a coordinated approach for the UK advanced materials sector and accelerate the pull through of impactful innovations into industry, boosting productivity, resilience and growth nationwide."
