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.

If you can't find the information you're looking for, you can make a new FOI request.

Filters

Clear filters
  • Keywords filters

  • Year filters

  • Month filters

1,301 disclosures

  1. Request Received: 12 August 2025

    1) Since Jan 2023, how much has been spent on physical AI infrastructure such as data centers?

    2) Since Jan 2023, how much has been spent on AI infrastructure?

    3) How much has been spent on software related to AI infrastructure or to support AI development?

    4) What proportion of total AI infrastructure investment has gone to software tooling?

    5) What funding has been committed specifically for agentic AI testing environments?

    6) How many AI developer upskilling programs have been funded since Jan 2024?

    7) How many grants or contracts have been awarded to software-based AI infrastructure since Jan 2024?

    8) How many grants or contracts have been awarded to physical-based AI infrastructure since Jan 2024?

    9) Estimated cost of AI Infrastructure for 2025?

    To confirm, we’re interested in the AI Infrastructure of UKRI itself. All questions should be viewed through that lens.

    Published: 20 October 2025

  2. Request Received: 4 August 2025

    Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I formally request the following information held by UKRI in relation to the Future Leaders Fellowship (FLF) scheme Round 9:

    1) Any records explaining the delay in providing the promised feedback

    2) Total number of people that applied, that reached the interview stage, and that were actually awarded FLF grants

    Published: 15 October 2025

  3. Request Received: 4 August 2025

    I am writing to formally request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 relating to the Future Leaders Fellowship scheme Round 9:

    The scoring thresholds and definitions used to determine Band A versus Band B at the final moderation stage.

    Published: 15 October 2025

  4. Request Received: 3 July 2025

    Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am requesting access to the following information in relation to the Launchpad competition project number 10150400 (Raidmed Ltd) and more broadly the classification of funding awards under the UK subsidy control regime:

    1. Internal Communications and Legal Advice Any internal documents, emails, or meeting minutes from UKRI or Innovate UK that contain legal advice, interpretations, or discussions relating to the classification of grant awards under the De Minimis Regulation versus the Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) route, especially in the context of the Windsor Framework and Northern Ireland-based applicants.

    2. Criteria or Policy Documents Used to Determine Classification Any guidance documents, criteria, internal policy, or decision-making frameworks used by UKRI/Innovate UK to determine whether a specific project or applicant should be classified under De Minimis or MFA. This includes documents relevant to decisions involving medical device development projects and mixed hardware-software proposals.

    3. Correspondence with External Authorities Any correspondence between Innovate UK and HMRC, DSIT, or other government departments specifically referencing project 10150400 (Raidmed Ltd), or more generally discussing the interpretation of De Minimis and MFA frameworks in relation to NI-based applicants.

    4. Assessment of Raidmed’s Eligibility Any recorded assessments, internal justifications, or decision notes made by UKRI/Innovate UK in determining that project 10150400 (Raidmed Ltd) must be classified under De Minimis, including references to the product’s nature, subsidy control rationale, or treatment of similar projects.

    First Clarification Received: 23 July 2025

    1. Time Frame and Search Terms To assist with your search for information under points 1 and 2 of my original request, I suggest the following terms which may be relevant:

    • Search terms: "De Minimis", "Minimal Financial Assistance", "MFA", "Windsor Framework", "subsidy control", "state aid", "Norther Ireland", "Launchpad"

    • Date range: 1 January 2023 to present

    • Context: Please focus on correspondence, documents, or internal advice specifically relating to the classification of Innovate UK Launchpad grants under De Minimis vs MFA, including any input or guidance from the UK Subsidy Advice Unit or internal subsidy/legal teams.

    2. Points 3 and 4 While these relate to Raidmed Ltd specifically, I would still like them to be considered under the FOI process. The rationale is that applicants and the public have a legitimate interest in understanding the process, rationale, and legal basis for grant award classifications, especially where they may impact structural fairness or competitiveness between UK nations. As such, I believe it is in the public interest to include these points in the response.

    Second Clarification Received: 13 August 2025

    I would like to revise and narrow the scope of my request as follows:

    Please conduct a search of internal email communications and documents from 1 January 2024 to 1 July 2025 that include both of the following:

    1. The term “Launchpad”, and

    2. At least one of the following terms:

    • “De Minimis”

    • “Minimal Financial Assistance”

    • “Windsor Framework”

    • “subsidy control”

    Additionally, please restrict the search to communications and documents authored by or sent to any of the following individuals:

    • <Redacted>

    • <Redacted>

    • <Redacted>

    • Members of the UKRI Subsidy Advice or Legal teams

    I hope this refinement brings the scope within the time/resource limits under Section 12, while retaining the intent of the original request — to understand the rationale, precedent, or internal communications behind the classification of Northern Ireland-based Launchpad grants under De Minimis rather than MFA. Separately, I wanted to follow up on your helpful note that “Innovate UK would be able to explain how classifications are determined under De Minimis or MFA and direct you to the publicly available statutory guidance.” My understanding, based on previous correspondence with Innovate UK, is that the subsidy control regime provides high-level frameworks, but there is no explicit statutory guidance that clearly defines when a grant should fall under MFA versus De Minimis — leaving that judgement to the granting body on a case-by-case basis. I have not seen any statutory guidance that prescribes classification rules for individual grant schemes such as Launchpad, nor have Innovate UK staff (including <Redacted>) previously been able to point me to such a source. I would therefore appreciate clarification as to whether this guidance is (a) public and general, or (b) internal to UKRI/IUK.

    If such guidance does exist — especially anything produced by BEIS, DfE, or UKRI to inform decision-making in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework — I would be very grateful if you could point me to it.

    Published: 15 October 2025

  5. Request received: 08 July 2025

    I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act regarding the recent ALERT scheme awards mentioned here https://www.uktech.news/biotech/ukri-awards-27m-in-biotech-funding-20250910.

    Specifically, I would like to request the following details for each successful application:

    • Company Name

    • Company Registration Number (or Charity Number, if applicable)

    • Value of the Grant Awarded

    • Project Title and Short Description (if available)

    • Timeline / Start and End Dates of the Project

    If any of the above information is already publicly available, I would be grateful if you could direct me to the appropriate source.

    Published: 7 October 2025

  6. Request Received: 3 August 2025

    Information relating to your statutory obligations, use of public funds, internal governance, and third-party influence, particularly in light of UKRI's role as a major public funding body across research, innovation, and education (Equality Act 2010).

    Published: 7 October 2025

  7. Request received: 24 July 2025

    1. How many space businesses with TR3 got BIC funding in the last 12 months and what was the total £ they got

    2. What is the true cost of running BIC ESA in the last 12 months

    3. How much funding has the UK Government allocated for BIC ESA

    4. Who set the policy at STFC for TRL3 Proof of concept only

    Published: 7 October 2025

  8. Request Received: 4 September 2025

    I am seeking recorded information regarding the use, testing, or deployment of satellite-linked technologies for the remote application of non-invasive brain stimulation, including but not limited to techniques such as temporal interference stimulation. Specifically, I request:

    1.     Any documentation, research, or correspondence relating to the use of satellite systems to deliver or modulate electromagnetic fields (EMF) for neurostimulation purposes.

    2.     Any safety assessments, risk models, or incident reports concerning directed EMF exposure potentially affecting human neurological function.

    3.     Any known collaborations with academic, commercial, or defence entities exploring remote neuromodulation via satellite or other long-range transmission systems.

    Published: 1 October 2025

  9. Request Received: 8 July 2025

    1) What was the total number and duration of network outages experienced across your organization in the past 36 months?

    • Could I have this broken down per year?

    2) What percentage of your IT budget was allocated to network infrastructure maintenance versus new deployments in the last year?

    3) What criteria are used when evaluating new networking hardware beyond initial purchase price?

    4) What percentage of your fiber network infrastructure is currently operating beyond its intended replacement cycle?

    5) What are your current plans and timelines for upgrading to higher-speed network technologies (100G/200G/400G/800G)?

    6) How many network devices (switches, servers) in your organization are currently operating beyond vendor support lifecycles?

    7) What is the current average age of fiber optic transceivers across your network infrastructure?

    8) What percentage of your network infrastructure is considered "legacy", i.e. technology requiring replacement in the next 2-3 years?

    Clarification Received: 18 July 2025

    Network outages please include all of the below and over the past 36 months.

    • hardware errors

    • software errors

    But these are on the expectation for solely internal - please also do the same for:

    • Any third parties/cloud providers that are external to your corporate networks

    • Please make a distinction between the two and the nature of the outages

    In terms of budget allocation against new deployments and evaluating new networking hardware. Could I have these broken down across devices and systems - listing on-prem, cloud and colocation, as well as service.

    Published: 29 September 2025

  10. Request Received: 19 June 2025

    Clarification Received: 15 July 2025

    1) How many emails notifying the withdrawal of funding for research project(s) and notifying that project funding will not be renewed has UK Research and Innovation's Science Technology and Facilities Council sent since the beginning of this academic year (September 2024)? Please can you specify these projects (I've seen at least one letter of the former)?

    2) How many emails notifying the withdrawal of funding for research project(s) and that project funding will not be renewed has UK Research and Innovation's [other research councils] sent since the beginning of this academic year (September 2024)? Please can you specify these projects and their corresponding research councils?

    3) How many notices that research project funding will not be renewed has UKRI received from U.S. federal funders? Please can you specify these projects?

    Please ensure that any projects where an extension has been granted (for mitigating circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic) and then funding has been withdrawn are included the response.

    Published: 29 September 2025