UK Government £millions to fund PhD research

An update on the UK Government £millions to fund PhD research programmes while in the UK and EU continue their discussions on Horizon.

The UK Government recently earmarked £464m in immediate research investment to safeguard projects across the UK. This measure is targeted ‘to support staff retention and local talent strategies. As a result 'UK labs remain world class and at the cutting edge of R&D’.

The support ‘builds on the Horizon Europe guarantee scheme, extended in September. This continues to provide funding for 'eligible, successful UK winners of Horizon Europe. UK researchers and businesses can continue to collaborate internationally.’

Details of the package

The £464m package is directed to a number of key areas: -

• £30 million Talent and Research Stabilisation Fund.

This will provide targeted support to eligible universities and research organisations who have a track record in attracting direct talent-based funding from the EU, to help them retain talent and address vulnerabilities at a local level.

• £100 million Quality-Related (QR) funding for English universities with additional funding for the Devolved Administrations.

This will complement the Talent and Research Stabilisation Fund to deliver a one-off boost to enable universities to strengthen research capabilities – for example employing research staff, technicians or sustaining new areas of research - which are vital to the UK’s reputation for excellent research.

• £200 million for UK Research Infrastructures including additional funding for the Devolved Administrations

A one-off boost to the UK’s research infrastructure base. This includes the UKRI World Class Labs fund, enabling institutes and universities across the United Kingdom to invest in essential research equipment and sustain their excellent research base, as well as making funding available to the UK’s Public Sector Research Establishments (such as the National Physical Laboratory and the Met Office) to maintain their status as international centres of excellence.

• £42.1 million for the Fusion Industry Programme.

This will galvanise the UK fusion sector through a challenge fund, designed to engage and support UK businesses in important technical challenges of fusion, significantly helping to build capabilities and spur commercial innovation.

• £84 million for JET Operations

This will support JET (Joint European Torus), as the world’s largest and most powerful fusion experimentation, to continue operations which will provide valuable new insights and support other UK fusion programmes such as STEP (Spherical Tokomak for Energy Production).

More about Horizon

The UK Government is negotiating with the EU over the interpretation of the Trade and Cooperation agreement (TCA) signed in 2020, and how the UK can continue its association with Horizon Europe.

The Horizon 2020 programme supplied UK science projects with 7Bn Euros in research funding between 2014 and 2020. Above all, it remains a key priority for the UK Government to secure £millions to fund PhD research.

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