Organisations in this list are eligible for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding, but eligibility will also depend on the specific funding opportunity.
Higher education providers
Eligible higher education providers (HEPs) take part in the Research Excellence Framework and receive recurrent annual funding from one of the UK’s higher education funding bodies:
- Research England
- Medr (Welsh Commission for Tertiary Education and Research)
- Scottish Funding Council
- Northern Ireland’s Department for the Economy
If your organisation receives block funding you can apply to UKRI funding opportunities. If you’re not sure, check with your research office.
Research institutes
Research institutes are organisations in which UKRI has made a long-term funding investment.
The eligible research institutes are:
- Alan Turing Institute
- Babraham Institute
- Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (part of UK Atomic Energy Authority)
- Diamond Light Source
- Earlham Institute
- Health Data Research UK
- Isaac Newton Group
- John Innes Centre
- Joint Astronomy Centre
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Harwell Institute
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
- MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences
- Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) British Antarctic Survey
- NERC British Geological Survey
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory
- Quadram Institute Bioscience
- Rosalind Franklin Institute
- Rothamsted Research
- Scottish Association for Marine Sciences
- Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) laboratories
- The Faraday Institution
- The Francis Crick Institute
- The Pirbright Institute
- UK Astronomy Technology Centre
- UK Dementia Research Institute
NHS bodies
UKRI research grants are open to NHS bodies with research capacity. This includes:
- the NHS board
- NHS Clinical Commissioning Group
- NHS Foundation Trust
- NHS Special Authority
- NHS Trust
- NHS Local Health Board
Public sector research establishments
A public sector research establishment is an organisation that:
- is sponsored directly by a government department or UKRI
- has research and development capacity
- has met UKRI criteria for public sector research establishments and is registered as being eligible for funding
Eligible public sector research establishments:
- Animal and Plant Health Agency
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
- Environment Agency
- Fera Ltd
- Forest Research
- Health and Safety Executive PSRE
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)
- Marine Scotland Science
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
- National Nuclear Laboratory
- National Physical Laboratory
- Natural England
- NatureScot (Scottish Natural Heritage)
- Office for National Statistics
- Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture
- UK Health Security Agency
Other public sector research establishments
In addition to the list of eligible public sector research establishments we have a list of establishments that are likely to meet the criteria to be eligible for UKRI funding. These establishments will still be required to apply to be eligible for UKRI funding and should contact us to discuss the eligibility process.
Email: grantssystemsupport@funding.ukri.org
These organisations are likely to be eligible but haven’t applied yet:
- Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board
- Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute
- Atomic Weapons Establishment
- Government Chemist
- Met Office
- National Institute of Health and Care Excellence
- National Measurement Laboratory
- Natural Resources Wales
- Northern Ireland Environment Agency
- Ordnance Survey
- Scottish Environment Protection Agency
- The UK Hydrographic Office
- UK Space Agency
Independent research organisations
Organisations might conduct research and development activities and still not fit into one of the other categories for UKRI funding. These organisations can apply to become an independent research organisation and may become eligible this way.
Independent research organisations need to demonstrate:
- existing in-house capacity to carry out research that extends and enhances other research happening in the UK
- the capability and skills to independently undertake and lead a research programme
Eligible independent research organisations include:
- Anthony Nolan
- Armagh Observatory
- BirdLife International
- British Film Institute
- British Institute of International and Comparative Law
- British Library
- British Museum
- British Trust for Ornithology
- Butterfly Conservation
- CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International)
- Cambridge Arctic Shelf Programme
- Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre
- Centre for Sustainable Energy
- CERN
- Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs)
- Earthwatch Institute
- European Bioinformatics Institute
- European Marine Energy Centre Ltd
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility
- Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England
- Historic Environment Scotland
- Historic Royal Palaces
- HR Wallingford Group
- Imperial War Museum
- Institute for Fiscal Studies
- Institute of Development Studies
- Institute of Occupational Medicine
- International Institute for Environment and Development
- London Institute for Mathematical Sciences
- Malaria Consortium (UK)
- Marine Biological Association
- Moredun Research Institute
- Museum of London Archaeology
- National Archives
- National Centre for Social Research
- National Foundation for Educational Research
- National Gallery
- National Institute of Agricultural Botany
- National Institute of Economic and Social Research
- National Maritime Museum
- National Museum Wales
- National Museums Liverpool
- National Museums of Scotland
- National Oceanography Centre
- National Portrait Gallery
- Natural History Museum
- Nesta
- Overseas Development Institute
- RAND Europe Community Interest Company
- Royal Armouries
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
- Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies
- Satellite Applications Catapult
- Science Museum Group
- Sightsavers
- Tate
- Tavistock Institute of Human Relations
- The Aga Khan University (International) in the UK
- The Design Museum
- The James Hutton Institute
- The Manufacturing Technology Centre Ltd
- The National Trust
- The Office of the Health Economics
- The Resolution Foundation
- The Royal Shakespeare Company
- The Welding Institute
- Transport Research Laboratory
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
- Unlimit Health
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
- World Conservation Monitoring Centre
- Zoological Society of London, Institute of Zoology
Catapult centres
The UK’s network of Catapult centres are research and technology organisations. You cannot apply to become one.
Some funding opportunities run by Innovate UK are open to all Catapult centres. Catapults can apply for an additional level of eligibility, which allows them to apply for funding from other research councils and cross-council funding.
Catapult centres eligible for UKRI funding are:
- Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (Cell Therapy Catapult Limited)
- Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult
- Digital Catapult
- Energy Systems Catapult
- Manufacturing Technology Centre
- Medicines Discovery Catapult
- Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult
- Satellite Applications Catapult