Research and innovation infrastructure in the UK is to receive a
£50 million upgrade, furthering the government’s aim to cement
the UK’s status as a science superpower.
The projects include a boost to the world’s largest and most
sensitive radio telescope network, carbon capture technologies, a
state-of-the-art airborne research laboratory and a £17 million
investment in digital research infrastructure.
The funding, which is supporting more than a dozen infrastructure
projects and scoping studies, follows the Prime Minister’s
announcement of a new ministerial council and Office for Science
and Technology Strategy. Both will provide strategic direction on
the use of science and technology as the tools to tackle great
societal challenges, level up across the country and boost
prosperity around the world.
Science Minister said:
If the last year and a half has taught us anything it’s that new
challenges can arise from anywhere at any time.
By investing millions in the UK’s research infrastructure, we are
putting science and innovation at the heart of our efforts to
build back better while ensuring that we can respond to
challenges now and in the future – from pandemic preparedness to
tackling climate change.
Tackling problems such as climate change and antimicrobial
resistance are immediate priorities reflected in the projects
receiving funding, but this funding is equally designed to
address the challenges and opportunities that may arise in the
future.
By putting the infrastructure in place now, the UK will lead the
world in developing innovative approaches to the challenges
facing society, as well as enhancing the UK’s long-term research
capability.
This investment will be delivered through grant funding and is
the first to be delivered through UK Research and Innovation’s
(UKRI)
Infrastructure Roadmap programme to bolster the UK’s research and
innovation capabilities.
UK Research and Innovation Chief Executive Professor Dame
Ottoline Leyser said:
Infrastructure and the skilled people who design, build, maintain
and operate it are vital to research and innovation. Projects
such as the Square Kilometre Array Observatory and the
UKRI Airborne
Laboratory demonstrate the importance of investing in facilities
that can help us answer some of the biggest questions and tackle
the most pressing challenges.
This investment provides the foundation from which the UK will
continue to play an important role in the advancement of
scientific research and understanding around the world.
One of the largest increases in investment to be announced today
is for the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), which is an
existing project which will receive £14.75 million of the £50
million announced for this financial year. SKAO, which will have
telescopes in South Africa and Australia and has its HQ in
Manchester, will have the world’s largest and most sensitive
radio telescope network on Earth when constructed.
The SKAO
telescopes will be able to image huge areas of sky with
unparalleled sensitivity and on an unprecedented scale. Its image
resolution quality will exceed the Hubble Space Telescope and it
will lead the way for the UK in scientific discovery, helping to
maintain our world-leading position.
Today’s funding also provides £5.5 million to upgrade the
UKRI Airborne
Laboratory for this financial year, enhancing its world-leading
research capability and enabling it to remain at the cutting-edge
of atmospheric research.
This world-class aircraft is unique in the UK, is capable of
being deployed anywhere in the world, and provides invaluable
data that allows for climate modelling and weather prediction.
The upgrades will provide new air pollution and aerosol equipment
and will assess the impact of pollution on both the atmosphere
and human health, ensuring continued capability to respond to
airborne environment incidents that could impact society and the
economy.
Further funding will be awarded to projects covering a broad
spectrum of innovative work, including:
- £17 million to initiate a national Digital Research
Infrastructure to enable UK researchers to harness the full power
of modern digital platforms, tools and techniques, including Net
Zero computing
- a scoping study into developing a CO2 Storage Testbed that will de-risk
carbon capture and storage on an industrial scale, positioning
the UK as a global leader in clean growth
- funding to plan for infrastructure offering cutting-edge
technologies to drive innovation in the UK’s screen and
performance industries
- investment to unlock the power of our rich population data to
address key health issues and identify early markers for serious
diseases
- £260,000 for a project to investigate the requirements for a
new national Floods and Droughts Resilience Infrastructure, which
would provide a world-leading observation network. With weather
events increasing due to climate change, the aim is to reduce the
impacts of floods and droughts in the UK by better understanding
the water cycle
The government is committed to cementing the UK’s status as a
science superpower, putting the country on track to reach 2.4% of
GDP being spent on R&D across the UK economy
by 2027.
