This is the highest proportion of our funding ever provided to projects outside the greater south-east.
It represents a cumulative additional £1.4 billion invested outside the greater south-east since 2021 to 2022.
All regions and nations received an increase in UKRI investment between 2021 to 2022 and 2023 to 2024.
The greatest absolute increases in investment were in the north-west, the West Midlands and the East Midlands.
The greatest proportional increases were in Northern Ireland, the East Midlands and the north-west.
Significant investment
Significant investments in the devolved nations and English regions include Local Policy Innovation Partnerships and three major innovation accelerators in Glasgow, Manchester and the West Midlands.
It also includes the creation of clusters of expertise that build on regional strengths and attract private investment, such as:
- advanced manufacturing in Northern Ireland
- semi-conductors and media in Wales
- advanced ceramics in Staffordshire
UKRI report
The detail is set out in UKRI’s report, ‘Geographical distribution of UKRI funding, financial years 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024’.
For the first time the report includes trend data, showing the increase.
UKRI invested £9.1 billion in the UK’s research and innovation system in the 2023 to 2024 financial year, up from £8.4 billion in 2022 to 2023 and £7.8 billion in 2021 to 2022.
Supporting economic growth and access to opportunity
Commenting on the report, Jessica Corner, who heads UKRI’s strategy on regional investment, said:
The government has made it clear that economic growth and more equal access to opportunity are key elements of its ambition to tackle regional disparities in the UK.
Investing in research and innovation is a vital part of the way we boost productivity, wages, jobs and living standards across the country.
A combined £17 billion across the UK
The proportion of funding invested outside London, the south-east and east of England, rose to 50% in 2023 to 2024, up from 49% in 2022 to 2023 and 47% in 2021 to 2022.
UKRI’s annual reports and accounts show that in the 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024 financial years, meaning 6 April 2022 to 5 April 2024, UKRI invested a combined £17 billion across the UK.
This report sets out where we invested our funding in the financial years 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024 and how the geographical distribution of our investment has changed since 2021 to 2022.