UKRI Technology
Missions Fund
Foreword
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has a strong history of investing in research and innovation to support the emergence, development and exploitation of tomorrow’s technologies that have the potential for radical positive impact on our society and economy, to improve lives and livelihoods.
Our UKRI Technology Missions Fund is investing £320 million in Technology Missions to support the UK’s critical technologies of artificial intelligence (AI), engineering biology, future telecommunications and quantum technologies, to further drive innovative technological advancements and new scientific discoveries. Technologies to help us tackle global challenges across our net-zero economy, health, resilience and productivity, in a responsible and sustainable way. The impact is wide-ranging, across major sectors of the economy at regional, national and international scale. So far, over 600 projects have been awarded, including 621 businesses and 92 higher education institutes.
AI is supporting healthcare and high-growth industries, boosting business profitability and growth in a responsible and trustworthy way. Engineering biology is reducing plastic pollution and developing new, safer vaccines and therapeutics. Future telecommunications technologies are vastly improving the speed, security, reliability and energy consumption of our wireless networks. Quantum technologies in positioning, navigation and timing, are making public transport more resilient, while quantum hardware testbeds will explore the potential for large-scale quantum computing.
This publication highlights the power of mission-led investments in driving collaborations between UKRI, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), other government departments, the research base and industries, to integrate research, innovation and policy requirements to accelerate technology development, enhance UK capabilities and skills, and address major global challenges to improve lives and livelihoods and grow the UK economy. I am proud of what we have achieved over the past two years, working with agility, flexibility and speed to deliver against the UK’s science and technology vision, building sovereign capability for the UK’s future growth and prosperity, and enhancing national security and resilience.
I look forward to continuing that momentum to harness more opportunities for technology development, commercialisation and deployment, to maintain the UK’s leadership in emerging and expanding national and international markets.
Kedar Pandya
UKRI Technology Missions Fund Senior Responsible Owner and Executive Director, Strategy Directorate, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, UKRI
£320 million
investment by UKRI in Technology Missions to support artificial intelligence, engineering biology, future telecommunications and quantum technologies
Introduction
Thriving UK tech ecosystem
The UK has the largest tech ecosystem in Europe, home to a unique combination of innovative and talented entrepreneurs, research expertise and facilities, talent and skills, and pro-innovation regulations.
The UK is a world leader in innovation, ranking fifth in the world on the Global Innovation Index. It is home to more unicorn businesses than the rest of Europe combined, and its thriving venture capital market has the highest volume of investment in tech companies in Europe. Innovation is key to economic prosperity and societal wellbeing. It creates economic growth through increased productivity, increased private investment, and the creation of more, higher quality and better paid employment.
Our innovation ecosystem is supported by the UK’s world-class research base, home to four of the world’s top 20 universities. Technological breakthroughs are made possible through rapid advancements in scientific discoveries, driving innovation to tackle our big global challenges.
The UKRI Technology Missions Fund
The UKRI Technology Missions Fund is supporting the commercialisation, deployment and adoption of the UK’s critical technologies of tomorrow.
Our Technology Missions are supporting advancements in artificial intelligence, engineering biology, future telecommunications and quantum technologies. We are bringing together businesses and world-leading researchers through strategically driven programmes across all stages of technology development, from early emergence through to adoption and diffusion, across diverse industries and sectors.
Technology Missions are tackling big global challenges across our environment and health, supporting resilience and productivity, in a responsible and sustainable way. We are helping to build the right skills and leadership to embed responsible research and innovation across all our investments.
In partnership with government departments, the research base and businesses, we are driving the development and commercialisation of the UK’s critical technologies of tomorrow to help improve lives and grow the UK economy.
£250m to secure the UK’s world-leading position in technologies of tomorrow
£54m to develop secure AI that can help solve major challenges
£45 million to develop quantum technologies
UKRI and Science Creates launch engineering biology accelerator
£13 million for 22 AI for health research projects
UKRI to invest £70m in new future telecoms technologies
£37m funding boost for AI projects
UKRI and NQCC invest £30 million in UK quantum innovators
£19 million to accelerate trustworthy and responsible AI
New £100m fund will unlock the potential of engineering biology
Major future telecoms research boost announced
Leading VC partnerships to support engineering biology accelerator
£13.5 million for 48 engineering biology R&D projects
£7 million to back next wave of AI innovations
£12 million for UK projects to address rapid AI advances
AI projects backed by £32 million to turbocharge productivity
UKRI invests £5.8m to drive growth in engineering biology sector
Over £7 million awarded to help AI boost growth in the UK
Future communications research hubs for a connected UK
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence
case studies
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly developing science that is helping to make important new discoveries more quickly. AI has the power to transform lives across our health services and our net zero economy.
£110 million
investment towards developing responsible and trustworthy AI
We are investing £110 million in AI Technology Missions to develop new approaches to responsible and trustworthy AI, increase adoption of AI in high-growth industries to boost productivity, support AI in healthcare, and to reduce greenhouse emissions contributing to a net zero economy.
This investment is supported by an additional £35m through the Innovate UK BridgeAI programme to further support the development and adoption of AI solutions in high-growth industry sectors. This includes priming sectors, stimulating engagement between AI developers and adopters, addressing technical and business skills gaps, and providing access to compute and expertise in areas such as standards, regulations and responsible AI. Our investments are helping to strengthen the UK’s AI research and innovation, catalysing its ecosystem, and supporting the goals of the UK AI Opportunities Action Plan.
Intelligent Art Packaging with AI Optimisation
Utilising AI automation processes to optimize the design of custom packaging for specialized art pieces
Revolutionising dairy farming with AI
New AI-enabled automation could make for happier, healthy cows and higher milk yields
Improving public services with AI transport models
Using AI to make it easier and quicker for Local Authorities to generate transport models, whilst helping to cut carbon emissions
Engineering Biology
Engineering Biology
case studies
Engineering biology uses engineering principles to re-design biological systems to create transformative improvements across many industries. For example, delivering a more productive, sustainable and secure agriculture and food system, developing new vaccines and preparing for future pandemics, to producing greener chemicals and more environmentally sustainable manufacturing processes.
£70 million
to connect industry and research into bio-based solutions for societal problems
We are investing £70 million in Engineering Biology Technology Missions to connect industry and researchers to provide bio-based solutions to societal problems in areas identified through the National Engineering Biology Programme of food systems, biomedicine, clean growth and environmental solutions.
This investment is supported by an additional £70m funding through UKRI and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). It also builds on the UK Synthetic Biology for Growth programme, which included the establishment of a network of Synthetic Biology Research Centres across the country. Our investments are also helping to deliver against the national vision for engineering biology.
Transforming end-of-life plastic waste
Tackling plastic pollution and supporting the transition towards a circular plastics economy
Switched-on treatments to tackle diseases
A new gene therapy centre will provide safer, more targeted treatments for patients across a range of diseases
The rise of the super spud
Enhancing potato quality, cutting down on food waste, and meeting the evolving needs of consumers to secure a sustainable future for the potato industry
Future Telecommunications
Future Telecommunications
case studies
Telecommunication networks are critical to the UK economy and it’s vital to ensure their resilience and security in a changing and increasingly interconnected world.
£70 million
to shape the next generation of UK telecommunications networks
We are investing £70 million in Future Telecommunications Technology Missions to help to shape the next generation of telecommunication networks through the UK. Our investments will help to improve the speed, security, reliability and energy consumption of our wireless networks in a growing digital world.
Funding is designed to galvanise innovation across the UK telecoms ecosystem, building routes for exploitation between the research base and innovative companies both established and emerging in the UK, boosting UK leadership in the future telecommunications sector. Our investments are also helping to deliver against the UK wireless infrastructure strategy.
Communicating data through light
Improving speed, security, reliability and energy consumption of our wireless networks in a growing digital world
The world’s first fully optical switch for telecoms networks
A new device could soon be making our telecoms networks faster and more sustainable
UK's first national accelerator programme towards 6G and beyond
A cutting-edge, national-scale experimentation platform designed to facilitate innovation, collaboration and research across academia, industry and government, strengthening the UK’s telecoms industry
Quantum Technologies
Quantum Technologies
case studies
Quantum technologies exploit the unique properties of quantum physics with the potential to benefit our daily lives as well as accelerate economic growth.
£70 million
to develop quantum computing, precision, navigation and timing technologies
We are investing £70 million in Quantum Technologies Technology Missions to develop quantum computing, and quantum precision, navigation and timing technologies. This builds on the National Quantum Technologies Programme (NQTP) to ensure the successful transition of quantum technologies from laboratory to industry and wider society and economic impact. Our investments are also helping to deliver against the national quantum strategy and its missions.
Safer, more reliable, efficient trains
Quantum technologies for position, navigation and timing, underground and overground, improving reliability, safety and efficiency of public transport across our railway networks
A ‘ruler for the universe’
AQlock is set to be the UK’s first commercially scalable ultra-precise, resilient, quantum clock, replacing dependency on vulnerable GNSS systems
The smallest of split seconds
Ultra-precise timing could safeguard the UK’s critical infrastructure, as well as helping to detect Dark Matter and predict earthquakes
UKRI Technology Missions Fund
The UKRI Technology Missions Fund is designed to exploit the UK’s global leadership in transformative technologies to help solve specific problems, whilst also helping cement that leading position. Overall, UKRI is investing £320 million in Technology Missions to enable new and existing capabilities and capacity in artificial intelligence, engineering biology, future telecommunications and quantum technologies in the years 2023 to 2025 and beyond.
Find out more
Find out more about the UKRI Technology Missions Fund
Find out more about Our strategy 2022 to 2027
Find out more about how we are supporting Tomorrow’s Technologies
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