Infrastructure is the equipment, facilities, resources and services used by research and innovation communities and businesses to conduct research, foster innovation and boost productivity in their fields.
The UK’s world-leading status in research and innovation is in large part founded upon its network of internationally competitive, high-quality and accessible research and innovation infrastructure, from well-equipped labs through to international facilities.
This includes:
- research equipment
- large-scale physical research facilities and sets of instruments (such as particle accelerators, research ships, and scientific satellites)
- knowledge-based resources, including scientific, cultural and artistic collections and physical and digital archives (such as UK Biobank or the Archaeology Data Service, the UK’s openly accessible repository of heritage data)
- development of research infrastructures in the universities sector (including new buildings, major refurbishment of existing facilities, or the purchase of high-cost research equipment)
- networks of technologies and digital infrastructures (including data and computing systems and communication networks, like the large-scale computing service ARCHER)
How infrastructure aligns with UKRI’s strategy
Infrastructure is central to all UKRI’s strategic objectives:
- people and careers: facilitating training, skills development and technical expertise through access to cutting-edge equipment and instrumentation, and attracting international talent to the UK
- places: ensuring UK researchers, innovators and industry across the UK have access to world-leading laboratory facilities, equipment and digital resources, and that existing provision is safely expanded and upgraded
- ideas: providing UK researchers and innovators with access to the latest technologies, insights and knowledge, ensuring that the UK retains its competitive advantage and continues to solve tomorrow’s challenges
- innovation: developing strategic cross-sector and international partnerships that attract globally mobile businesses to the UK and private investment to UK research and innovation
- impacts: accelerating technology development and targeting global and national challenges to include health, net zero and energy
Infrastructure Roadmap Programme
In 2018 to 2019, UKRI was commissioned to develop a research and innovation infrastructure roadmap, based on an understanding of our existing landscape and future opportunities. Two final reports were published:
Five years on, UKRI are now undertaking a major refresh of the roadmap programme, to be published in 2025.
The refresh of the roadmap will have three areas of focus:
- a demonstration of our progress since 2019 and knowledge of the current landscape
- a forward look to future opportunities
- an illustration of the impact of research and innovation infrastructure
We are conducting a survey of our current landscape to inform this work, which research and innovation infrastructure owners and managers are invited to complete.
For more details please contact infraroadmap@ukri.org
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Email: infrastructure@ukri.org
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Last updated: 3 September 2024