Our latest £80 million investment in new discovery-led research projects underscores our commitment to fostering a vibrant UK national research capability. It is an investment in the brightest ideas and teams, and as the Head of Theme for Physical Sciences, I am inspired by the creativity and passion of our discovery research community.
For me, playing a part in convening and enabling our communities to fulfil their research vision is a rewarding aspect of my job, and these projects and their journey represents this.
Discovery research thrives on the unknown, the unexpected, and the unexplored. It’s not just important; it’s indispensable. Here’s why:
It answers the big questions
Discovery research is a vital asset for the nation. It lays the foundations to understanding the big questions within and across disciplines. But it also underpins the ingenious solutions that will solve our most pressing societal challenges, from ensuring healthy ageing to providing cheap, clean, and secure energy.
To achieve these outcomes, however, we need a dynamic portfolio of innovative ideas and research pushing at the frontiers of human knowledge. Today’s investment represents our commitment to this.
It fosters collaboration and builds capacity
At the heart of these discoveries and projects are talented individuals who form the bedrock of our national capability and play an integral role as part of our science, technology, engineering and mathematics workforce. Central to this are research technical professionals, software engineers, and our world-class infrastructure support.
Many of the grants will also access our key national facilities or equip their labs with vital instrumentation that offers unparalleled accuracy and precision. No part can flourish without productive collaboration between and across the ecosystem. These new investments are pivotal in enabling this.
It supports careers
Of the £80 million announced in December, £9 million is allocated to 19 New Investigator Awards (NIAs) in the physical sciences. These awards are crucial interventions that allow talented individuals to kickstart their independent research programs.
In physical sciences alone, our NIA grants holders will unlock new knowledge across a diverse array of frontiers, from developing state-of-the-art molecular editing techniques through to understanding exotic quantum materials.
It fuels innovation and progress
Discovery science is the wellspring of innovation. By venturing into uncharted territories, scientists often stumble upon ground-breaking insights that lead to new technologies, therapies, and solutions to complex problems.
The serendipitous nature of discovery science means that even ‘failed’ experiments can yield valuable information, guiding future research directions. Many of the projects announced today embrace this ethos, exploring at the frontiers of human knowledge, adapting, and refining as we progress.
Working together
Making funding decisions is one of the most important aspects of my job. While it can be challenging, I appreciate the significance of each decision. For every project I support, there are other valuable projects that also deserve support. This is why it’s crucial for us to work together to clearly articulate the benefits of investing in discovery research.
Discovery research should be a shared national endeavour, valued by and benefiting everyone, not just those within it. To achieve this, there is more that we can do together. As UK Research and Innovation and the research community, we have a shared role to do more in demonstrating the benefit to society from investing in long-term discovery science, such that society wants more, enriching lives locally, nationally, and globally.
Top image: Advanced Research Centre Glasgow University. Credit: Matt Beech Photography