Today (21 March), UKRI has announced policy changes to improve the financial sustainability of research funding, including updates on its approach to equipment costs and position on matched funding.

Responding to the announcement, Lily Bull, Policy Manager at the Russell Group, said:

“Today’s announcement from UKRI is a very positive step in addressing the financial sustainability gap in research funding. The changes to better support equipment purchases will be welcome news for universities across the country, as will the explicit statement that there will be no expectation for matched funding.

“With falling cost recovery rates in recent years, and a real-terms decline in the value of QR funding, institutions have had to substantially increase investment from other sources to cover the cost of valuable research. At a time when budgets are being squeezed across the board, this is driving difficult decisions.

“We have long been calling for moves to address this and we are pleased to see the challenges are being recognised, and action is being taken. We will continue to work with UKRI and our members on ways to secure long-term sustainability in the research funding ecosystem, so we can continue to pursue the R&D that is so vital to the UK’s economy and public services”.

Notes
Matched funding is an additional contribution from the university to support research costs. UKRI has today confirmed the default position from 1 April is there will be no expectation for institutions to provide match funding, and this will not be used as a basis on which to award grants.