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

1,194 disclosures

  1. FOI2024/01201: Oncology clinical trial approvals and excess costs

    Request received: 02 December 2024

    Under the FOI Act, I would like to ask some questions about oncology clinical trial approvals and excess costs.

    1. Please provide a copy of your manual or standard approach for approving clinical trials in oncology. (For example, how they are scored and evaluated to secure funding).

    2. Please provide a copy of the standard process for approving clinical trials in oncology that exceed costs above £2 million. (Including whether there is ministerial involvement, or whether they have the power to overrule decisions.)

    3. Please provide me a copy of all correspondence you have received relating to excessive oncology clinical trial costs and getting them approved in the last 12 months.

    4. Please could you tell me how many clinical trials in oncology with excessive costs you have approved in the 12 months up to this request, versus the 5 years before it. And how many have not been approved. (e.g. 2024 = 20 yes, 10 no| 2023 = 15 yes, 5 no... etc.)

    Published: 21 February 2025

  2. FOI2025/00059: Biomedical Catalyst 2024 Round 1: Industry-led R&D

    Request Received: 22 January 2025

    For Innovate UK’s Biomedical Catalyst 2024 Round 1: Industry-led R&D competition, 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 (below and above the £500K threshold).

    13. The count of assessed applications by research category (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.

    16. The number of applications above the £500k grant threshold that were assessed?

    17. The number of applications above the £500k grant threshold that were successful?

    18. The number of applications below the £500k grant threshold that were assessed?

    19. The number of applications below the £500k grant threshold that were successful?

    Published: 19 February 2025

  3. FOI2025/00104: Innovate UK Smart grants: November 2024

    Request Received: 29 January 2025

    For Innovate UK’s Innovate UK Smart grants: November 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: 19 February 2025

  4. FOI2024/01035: The number of projects submitted to AHRC that had the primary designation of Drama and Theatre Studies

    Request Received: 4 November 2024

    For the period March 2020 - November 2024:

    1) the number of projects across all schemes submitted to AHRC that had the primary subject designation of Drama and Theatre Studies

    2) of those projects, the % success rate across all schemes (i.e. of projects submitted as Drama and Theatre Studies led what percentage were successful in securing funding)

    Published: 19 February 2025

  5. FOI2024/01036: Grant data for the Innovate UK Launchpad competitions

    Request Received: 4 November 2024

    I would be very grateful if you could please provide the below information for the previously run Innovate UK Launchpad competitions for both, where applicable, a) MFA and b) CR&D streams.

    The information I would like to request is as follows:

    1.The total number of applications submitted and the number of those that were assessed (i.e. deemed eligible for funding);

    2.The overall number of applications awarded funding;

    3.The average grant request and project size of the applications successfully awarded funding;

    Published: 19 February 2025

  6. FOI2024/01047: Collaborations between EPSRC and Elbit Systems

    Request Received: 5 November

    The EPSRC funds "Cooperative Awards in Science and Technology" (CASE) studentships for UK-based STEM doctoral students working on projects alongside businesses. I would like to request the following information pertaining to collaborations between the EPSRC and Elbit Systems:

    • Records of monetary transactions between the EPSRC and Elbit systems or between the EPSRC and the University bodies in the UK for CASE studentships, including the names of the Universities, departments and, if possible, research groups involved, dated appropriately.

    • Records of funding from the EPSRC for any other research projects in collaboration with Elbit systems, again including the names of the institutions involved and dated appropriately.

    • Records of the research output resulting from said studentships and projects.

    I would like you to provide this information in either pdf or excel spreadsheet format to this email address. I have previously requested this information pertaining to BAE systems. I have forwarded your team's response to this previous request as an ideal example of how the information should be formatted (though I assume this is a "standard").

    I would also further request that the cash value of the research grants is included as per my follow-up request to this previous FOI request.

    Published: 19 February 2025

  7. FOI2024/01061: IUK grants, values, contracts and IP clauses

    The request is regarding grants, values, the numbers of contracts awarded by Innovate UK, and to the presence of intellectual property (IP) clauses of the general type included in “INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS Guidance Note JUNE 2023”, published by the Government Commercial Function. With specific reference to Section 3 – Model and Example Contract Clauses:

    1. How many different types of grants do Innovate UK award each financial year (FY) to UK companies?

    2. What is the financial value, or range of values, of each type of grant?

    3. How many of each type of grant was awarded in FY2023 and to what size (turnover/heads) of company?

    4. Of each type, which grant types contain Foreground IP license wording which directly follows the guidelines in the above referenced document?

    5. Of each type, which grant types contain Foreground IP license wording which are more onerous (from an applicant’s perspective) than the guidelines in the above referenced document?

    6. Of each type, which grant types contain Foreground IP license wording which also has sub-license provisions?

    7. Of each type, which grant types contain Foreground IP license wording which also has extra-territorial sublicense provisions?

    8. Do any grant types require a license to an applicant’s Background IP and if so, which?

    9. Do any grant types not follow the guidelines in the above referenced document? If so, why?

    10. For which grant types (if any) are applicants allowed to negotiate the Foreground IP clause? If they are, is it made clear to applicants that they can do so and how?

    11. How many grants have been agreed in the last FY with modified Foreground IP license wording and of which grant types?

    12. In FY2023 how many grant applications were discontinued because of the Foreground IP wording?

    13. In FY2023, how many grant agreements have resulted in sub-licences to third party companies? Of these, how many have included FRAND provisions requiring a monetary payment to the IP owner

    14. According to your records, have there been any grant agreements that have resulted in a sub-licence(s) to third party companies? Of these, how many have included FRAND provisions requiring a monetary payment to the IP owner?

    Published: 19 February 2025

  8. FOI2024/00777: Women in Innovation Award 2024/25

    Request Received: 1 September 2024

    Request 1:

    For Women in Innovation Award 2024/25, please could you release the following information:

    1. The 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. Mean average grant fund value per project.

    9. Mean average score of funded projects. number

    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.

    Request 2:

    For Women in Innovation Award 2024/25: 4 million £ has been made available for the Women in Innovation Award 2024/25 Therefore:

    1.Could you please provide an itemised breakdown of how this money has been/will be spent including individuals/organisations/businesses where appropriate?

    2.Could you also please include how much was spent on assessor fees?

    3.Where any contracts/payments have been awarded, please confirm the relevant procurement arrangements?

    Request 3:

    I would like to make a request information on the demographics of the assessors. Specifically, the age and gender identity of the assessors, who were involved in scoring:

    •Innovate UK Smart grant competitions.

    •The Women in Innovation awards.

    (Specifically in the four years from October 2020 to November 2024).

    Published: 18 February 2025

  9. FOI2024/00746: Amount of funds allocated to the University of Hull for the years 2022/23 and 2023/24

    Request Received: 23 August 2024

    The amount of allocation of funds to the University of Hull for the years 2022/23 and 2023/24 as an outcome of the results REF 2021 (Mainstream QR funds) for the subject Chemistry (UoA 8).

    General information on the QR allocation for the University of Hull allocations is listed under: https://funding.re.ukri.org/files/html/grant-data-tables-2023-to-2024/hull#table-a

    I would like you to provide the information in the following format: either as part of the spreadsheet (excel) or as a text document, sent as an email to both email addresses give above.

    Published: 18 February 2025

  10. FOI2024/00757: Women in Innovation/Unlocking Potential

    Request received: on the 28 August

    This request relates to the Women in Innovation Awards for the last five competitions (2024, 2022 and 2021, 2020, 2019) and the Unlocking Potential Award 2023.

    Request Part 1

    Can you please provide the following information for each year of applications - Women in Innovation Awards 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024

    1.The total number of applications submitted and the number of those that qualified to be assessed

    2.The distribution of scores for all assessed applications

    3.The distribution of scores for winning applications

    4.The distribution of scores for all assessed applications within each innovation area

    5.The distribution of scores for winning applications within each innovation area

    6.The distribution of scores for winning applications within each location (the portfolio approach description of ‘location’ is very vague, a regional breakdown will be fine or the locations as defined by Innovate UK)

    7.The distribution of scores for winning applications within each location

    8.The score threshold for funding

    Request Part 2 - Women in Innovation Award 2024

    In 2024, the government website competition stated that up to £4 million was available for up to 50 grants. All of the supporting information provided by UKRI business connect in their workshops stated there would be 50 grants available (the words ‘up to’ do not appear in their documentation). The award outcome email sent to applicants (28/8/24) stated that only 25 awards will be given.

    Can you please provide information regarding the decision making process that led to awarding half as much funding than was initially allocated and stated in the briefings. I am not sure how this decision was reached, but assume there will be minutes of meetings, emails, or potentially a directive to decrease the funding that could be provided. I am requesting you to provide any information that led to the decision to only award £1.875 million and 25 grants instead of the initially stated £4 million and 50.

    Request Part 3 - Innovate UK Unlocking Potential Award 2023:Build

    Can you please provide the following information for the Innovate UK Unlocking Potential Award 2023:Build

    1.The total number of applications submitted and the number of those that qualified to be assessed

    2.The distribution of scores for all assessed applications

    3.The distribution of scores for winning applications

    4.The distribution of scores for all assessed applications within each innovation area

    5.The distribution of scores for winning applications within each innovation area

    6.The distribution of scores for winning applications within each location (the portfolio approach description of ‘location’ is very vague, a regional breakdown will be great)

    7.The distribution of scores for winning applications within each location

    8.The score threshold for funding

    Published: 18 February 2025