Research England supports national research facilities and the development of national research infrastructure through funds such as the Museum, Galleries and Collections Fund.
We allocate a small proportion of our total funding to:
- support special programmes
- promote specific policies
- contribute towards additional costs that are not recognised through our recurrent funding methods
For example, the museums, galleries and collections fund supports museums and galleries in the higher education sector that have research significance beyond their home HEP.
Funding for national facilities and initiatives also supports work commissioned from some sector bodies, such as Jisc, which funds development and champions the use of digital technologies in UK education and research.
For more information, read our guidance on how we fund higher education providers.
Funding for National Research Libraries
We allocate grants to support five designated National Research Libraries owned by higher education providers in England.
These are the libraries of:
- the School of Oriental and African Studies
- the Oxford University Library Service
- the John Rylands University Library at The University of Manchester
- the Cambridge University library and its dependent libraries
- the British Library of Political and Economic Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science
These are libraries that:
- have a unique collection or critical mass of rare material
- make a significant and essential contribution to the national research base
- incur associated costs more than the higher education provider could be expected to bear alone
- have a track record of providing high-quality services to external users