Freedom of information (FOI) releases from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

This is a disclosure log of UK Research and Innovation's responses to freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) requests that might be of wider public interest.

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1,131 disclosures

  1. FOI2024/00778: Women In Innovation Awards 2024

    Request Received: 31 August 2024

    Innovate UK Women In Innovation Competition 2024

    I would like to make a request for the following information:

    1) threshold funding pass rate for the 'portfolio approach' for the county of Essex (CB10 1AX) for this competition in 2024

    2) demographics of the assessors (specifically the age and gender identity of the assessors) who scored in the Innovate UK Women in Innovation award 2024, including any demographics held on assessors who identify on the neurodivergent scale and/or disclosed as disabled.

    3) training process all Innovate UK assessors attend on EDI matters and whether this is mandatory or not, including procedures to recruit assessors with disabilities and/or on the neurodivergent spectrum and how this fits in with the wider EDI strategy across UKRI since January 2023.

    Published: 5 November 2024

  2. FOI2024/00660: Impact Study

    Request received: 22 July 2024

    I want to thank you and you team once again for working with me to help understand the under-representation of Black and minority ethnic colleagues on UKRI decision-making committees. You might be aware that this data, and my conclusions and recommendations, were used to inform a written evidence submission[1] to the Diversity in STEM Inquiry of the Science and Technology Select Committee of the House of Commons.

     

    The Committee’s responses to my submission, my discussion with them, and their recommendations, are available here[2].

    Since some time has passed, I’m writing to let you know that I am conducting an impact study, the aim of which is to evaluate UKRIs response, and to assess the ways in which representation might have changed as a result of UKRI activities, and to understand the causal links between UKRI actions and outcomes (please note for reference that this impact study has been approved by Royal Holloways Research Ethics Committee; reference ID: 369).

    Freedom of Information Request

    1. Data for 2020/21 to 2023/24 I would be grateful if you could please provide the following data. For new to be comparable with previous data, please replicate the data tables in Freedom of Information requests FOI2022/00244 and FOI2021/00376, and making the same assumptions and using the same measures, supply data for the subsequent period, financial years 2020/21 to 2023/24.

    2. In the Parliamentary evidence submission mentioned above, the following recommendations were made:

    I. “UKRI leadership needs to develop a clear vision of what proportionate representation and inclusion should look like among UKRI decision-makers, coherently across RCs. The development of this vision requires the guidance of stakeholders with lived experience of marginalisation and scholars with specific research expertise.”

    II..“The final version of UKRI’s recently published draft Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy needs to commit to monitoring, publicly reporting on, and ending underrepresentation in its decision-making structures, beginning with its leadership teams and including all of its committees. This programme of work also needs to be properly resourced.”

    III. “A set of coherent, evidence-based, specific and time-bound actions needs to be developed that aims to understand the causes of under-representation among decision-makers, that increases diversity and inclusion, and uses evidence to check that actions have impact.”

    IV. “Guidance to staff in all RCs needs to include a requirement to ensure, at the very least, the proportionate participation of ethnic minorities. Adherence to this and other requirements needs to be monitored.”

    V. “UKRI should put to actual use the ethnicity (and other) data that it collects relating to its decision-making structures, and do so in a routine, timely and transparent manner.”

    Although RCs are represented within UKRI leadership structures, it is important to consider the decisions made by both UKRI as a body with overarching responsibilities over RCs, and by RCs individually. It would be useful for the impact analysis to consider whether or not the recommendations above have implemented by each. In a table, please note ‘Yes’ where recommendations have been implemented.

     

    In those cases, please provide written evidence of internal decision-making leading to implementation. For example in the case of (IV), please supply any updated written guidance to UKRI staff on committee building since the date of FOI2021/00376. Please also supply internal correspondence and minutes of meetings which make reference to the written evidence submission mentioned. For each remaining cell, please provide state reasons for not implementing recommendations.

    1. UKRI and RC Committee Meeting Dates and Minutes I would like to understand decision-making and actions emerging from UKRIs overarching, principal EDI Committee (2015/16 to 2023/34), and also the relationship between its actions and my evidence report. It may be impractical to send to me the minutes of all committee meetings in this period, so if you could please send me the dates of all meetings for this committee for now, it will allow me to select the meeting dates that would be the most appropriate.

    2. Records referring to evidence submission Please could you send to me minutes of meetings in UKRI (including RCs), and any internal correspondence, in which the evidence submission has been mentioned? This will allow me to understand the context in which it has been discussed.

    Clarification Received: 13 August 2024

    You’ve requested a timeframe for the information in parts 2, 3 and 4. I assume that UKRI and RCs would have begun considering evidence from at least the time of my first FoI, the response to which which is dated 31/07/2020 so I think that serves as a reasonable start date. The original date of my current request to you could serve as an appropriate end date for this period (22/07/2024). This covers nearly four years. I apologise for not specifying this information to you previously.

    Published: 4 November 2024

  3. FOI2024/00897: SWIMMR Space Weather Project Update

    Request Received: 7 October 2024

    Please will you let me know what the next steps are with the SWIMMR space weather project? Next steps such as publication of a report and/or recommendations for how to mitigate the impact of space weather on terrestrial infrastructure.

    Published: 1 November 2024

  4. FOI2024/00908: UK-Taiwan CRD 2024 Results Breakdown

    Request Received: 8 October 2024

    Innovate UK UK-Taiwan CRD 2024

    1. The number of applications.

    2. The number of assessed applications.

    3. The number of successful applications.

    4. The success rate.

    5. The minimum successful score.

    6. The maximum successful score.

    7. Maximum score of failed applications.

    8. The job title or level of the personnel within Innovate UK that are decision makers for the criteria of selection.

    9. The job title or level of the personnel within Innovate UK that follows the selection criteria to make the go/no-go decisions in selection of the winning projects and rejected projects.

    10. The criteria for selection for any projects awarded funding through the portfolio approach.

    11. The criteria for rejection for any projects that scored above threshold, but were rejected as a result of a portfolio approach.

    12. Average grant fund value per project.

    13. Average score of funded projects.

    14. Of the proposed projects that were funded, whether the UK lead partner has been a project lead for any other Innovate UK projects in the last 12 months.

    15. Of the proposed projects that were rejected, whether the UK lead partner has been a project lead for any other Innovate UK projects in the last 12 months.

    16. The score distributions of the applications (e.g. % (or number) of applications which scored <70, 70.1-75, 75.1-80, 80.1-85, 85.1-90, 90.1-95, 95.1-100).

    17. The count of assessed applications by innovation area.

    18. The count of successful projects by innovation area.

    19. The count of assessed applications by research category (feasibility studies, industrial research, experimental development).

    20. The count of successful projects by research category.

    21. The number of unsuccessful applications, if any, which scored above the minimum funded score.

    Published: 1 November 2024

  5. FOI2024/00139: Interpreting, translation and transcription services

    Request received: 23 February 2024

    Please can you provide the following information regarding language services.

    1. Please confirm your overall spend on interpreting, translation and transcription services for the following financial years:

    a. 2021-22

    b. 2022-23

    2. Who is your incumbent supplier(s) for language services? If you have more than one supplier, which services does each one provide to you?

    3. If you have a separate British Sign Language/non-spoken supplier, who is this?

    4. If you have a separate transcription supplier, who is this?

    5. Do you have any in-house interpreters/translators?

    6. When is your current language services contract(s) due to expire, a) without extensions and b) with all possible extensions?

    7. Could you please provide the name, phone number and email address of the contract manager responsible for language services?

    8. Could you please provide the name, phone number and email address of the person responsible for your language services budget?

    9. Could you please provide the following data for 2023:

    a. Total number of face-to-face interpreting assignments (spoken language) and hours completed

    b. Total number of face-to-face interpreting assignments (non-spoken language) and hours completed

    c. Total number of telephone interpreting calls and minutes completed

    d. Total number of video interpreting calls (spoken language) and minutes completed

    e. Total number of video interpreting calls (non-spoken language) and minutes completed

    f. Total number of document translations and words translated

    g. Total number of audio transcriptions and total audio duration

    10. What were your top 20 highest-volume languages for interpreting/translation requests in 2023? Can you please provide the fill rate % you received for the following services in 2023:

    a. Face-to-face interpreting

    b. Telephone interpreting

    c. Video interpreting

    d. Document translation

    e. Audio transcription

    11. What languages has your provider been unable to source in the last 12 months?

    12. Have service credits been applied on your language services contract in the last 12 months? If so, what performance failure was this linked to?

    13. What social value has been delivered as part of this contract in the last 12 months?

    14. If your contract was awarded through a tender process, can you please provide a copy of the winning bidder's tender?

    15. What are your contracted rates for each of the following services?

    a. Spoken face-to-face interpreting: hourly rate

    b. Non-spoken face-to-face interpreting: hourly rate

    c. Telephone interpreting: per minute rate

    d. Spoken video interpreting: per minute rate

    e. Non-spoken video interpreting:

    f. Document translation: per word rate

    g. Audio transcription: per audio minute rate

    16. Has your provider of language services increased their charge rate to you in the last 12 months?

    17. What is the Authority's typical route to market?

    18. Does the Authority currently have any interpreter on wheel devices as part of their current contract? If yes please advise how many and if these are provided free of charge or paid for by the Authority.

    19. Could you please provide the name, phone number and email address of the person responsible for the language services budget?

    20. Could you please provide the name, phone number and email address of the person in charge of procurement for the Authority?

    Published: 31 October 2024

  6. FOI2024/00742: Research Involving the use of Live Animals

    Request Received: 22 August 2024

    Medical Research Council (MRC), The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Innovate UK, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)

    For each of the above 4 councils for 2023 please may I have:

    (1) The total amount granted for research involving, the use of live animals, licenced under ASPA 1986.

    (2) The amounts granted to develop human relevant research which would reduce/replace the use of animals.

    (3) The amounts granted and the number of grants specifically where, in full or part, the less commonly used species of dogs are used or are intended to be used.

    (4) The amounts granted and the number of grants specifically where, in full or part, the less commonly used species of Non- Human Primates are used or are intended to be used. Please may I have the figures for each of the years 2021 - 2023.

    If any on your other councils grant money for research under ASPA 1986 please can I also have figures as above for 2023.

    Published: 30 October 2024

  7. FOI2024/00708: IT Training

    Request received: 14 August 2024

    Under the Freedom of Information Act, I would like to know the following information:

    Please detail the number of staff sent on IT training courses, the name of these courses and the total cost of these training courses each year for the past three years from August to July.

    E.g.

    August 2023- July 2024

    · 15 staff sent on IT training courses

    · Courses included – Advanced Data Skills, Introduction to AI, Cybersecurity Awareness

    · £60,000 spend on IT training courses

    Published: 29 October 2024

  8. FOI2024/00644: Office Supplies and Data Storage Expansion Contracts

    Request Received: 21 July 2024

    Clarification Received: 27 August 2024

    I would like to make an FOI request for information relating to the following contract awards:

    GSS24119 - UKRI Office Supplies

    MRC Harwell Data Storage expansion

    Please can you provide a breakdown of the items included in these contracts? For each item, could you provide the following information, preferably in a CSV or Excel file (one sheet per contract):

    1. Product Name

    2. Product Brand

    3. EAN number (where applicable)

    4. SKU number (where applicable)

    5. Manufacturer name

    6. Part Number

    7. Requested Quantity

    8. Price per item

    To be clear, I am not looking for the catalogue of available items in each contract but a list of items that have actually been ordered (to date). Accordingly, are you able to provide the details of the actual items that have been ordered (to date) under these contracts?

    Published: 29 October 2024

  9. FOI2024/00870: Innovate UK Smart Grants: April 2024

    Request Received: 30 September 2024

    For Innovate UK’s Innovate UK Smart grants: April 2024 competition both the <18 month <£500k and >18 month streams, please could you release the following information:

    1. The number of applications.

    2. The number of assessed applications.

    3. The number of successful applications.

    4. The success rate.

    5. The minimum successful score.

    6. The maximum successful score.

    7. Maximum score of failed applications.

    8. Average grant fund value per project.

    9. Average score of funded projects.

    10. The score distributions of the applications (e.g. % (or number) of applications which scored <70, 70.1-75, 75.1-80, 80.1-85, 85.1-90, 90.1-95, 95.1-100).

    11. The count of assessed applications by innovation area.

    12. The count of successful projects by innovation area for each strand.

    13. The count of assessed applications by research category (feasibility studies, industrial research, experimental development).

    14. The count of successful projects by research category.

    15. The number of unsuccessful applications, if any, which scored above the minimum funded score.

    Published: 25 October 2024

  10. FOI2024/00247: Communications about DARE UK (and IR2024/00328)

    FOI Request Received: 19 March 2024

    Under the Freedom of Information Act, relating to the period from the start of November 2023 to the end of February 2024, can you please provide:

    1) Any communications which mentioned or relate to the project "DARE UK" ("Data and Analytics Research Environments UK" - Home - DARE UK

    sent by the CEO of MRC (and his office) as sent to Health Data Research UK's CEO (ie Andrew Morris, and his office). Please include attachments within those communications.

    2) Any replies or responses to those communications received by MRC (which may include the investment manager for HDR at MRC in addition to the MRC CEO)

    Internal Review request received: 17 April 2024

    Published: 25 October 2024