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.

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1,414 disclosures

  1. FOI2026/00458: Follow up to FOI2026/00220 - AI Skills Hub

    Request Received: 26 May 2026

    Thank you for your response to FOI2026/00220 sent on 23 April 2026, about the AI Skills Hub (aiskillshub.org.uk).

    Your response said a formal service assessment was not required because the AI Skills Hub did not meet the criteria of a government transactional service under the Government Digital Service framework, and that proportionate governance was used.

    I have 3 follow-up questions to understand more about the governance steps that led to the launch and evaluation of the AI Skills Hub.

    I would be grateful for your response within 20 working days.

    Question 1: Audience research Please clarify how the AI Skills Hub was designed to reach its intended audience, including:

    a) the purpose of the site and what evidence was used to justify the decision to commission it

    b) how the intended audience were identified and defined

    c) what evidence or research was gathered about the audience's information needs, digital access, reading level, and language needs before the launch

    d) how many of your user research participants included people from any of the following groups: disabled people, people with low digital confidence, people for whom English is an additional language, people from minority ethnic backgrounds, and people in lower socio-economic groups.

    Question 2: Accessibility Please explain:

    a) the reasoning behind treating accessibility requirements differently for the AI Skills Hub than compared to a transactional government service

    b) which WCAG 2.2 AA success criteria the site was tested against, and which were not

    c) whether any disabled users were involved in testing, and if so, across which impairments (visual, cognitive, motor, hearing)

    d) whether the site was tested with assistive technologies (screen readers, magnifiers, voice control), and if so, which ones

    Question 3: Value for money and outcomes Public money was spent on the AI Skills Hub. Please provide:

    a) the success measures, outcomes, or KPIs defined before launch, including learner uptake targets across the 4 target sectors (Agriculture and Food Processing, Construction, Creative Industries, and Transport, Logistics and Warehousing)

    b) performance against those measures from launch to the most recent available month (including total unique visitors, traffic sources, and any measure of meaningful engagement or onward action)

    Published: 2 July 2026

  2. FOI2026/00374: IUK Growth Catalyst – Investor Partnerships Rounds 1 and 2

    Request Received: 27 April 2026

    Can I please submit a clarification on question 1 [in follow up to FOI2026/00296]:
    Can you provide the same breakdown for Round 1 and Round 2 for the successful applications only. ie. For both Round 1 and Round 2 please indicate for each successful application how many were new vs follow-on investments.

    Published: 1 July 2026

  3. FOI2026/00370: Battery Innovation Funding Call Results

    Request Received: 27 April 2026

    I would like to request the following information in relation to the previous Battery Innovation funding competition administered by Innovate UK:

     

    1.    The full list of funded projects, including project titles and lead organisations.

    2.    The total number of applications received and the number of successful applications.

    3.    The total value of grant funding awarded through this competition.

    4.    The individual grant amounts awarded to each successful project, where this information is not commercially sensitive.

    5.    A breakdown of funded projects by technology focus area (e.g. cell chemistry, battery management systems, recycling/second life, manufacturing, etc.)

    6.    The Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) targeted by funded projects, where available.

    Published: 1 July 2026

  4. FOI2026/00334: Innovate UK Bio Medical Catalyst in 2023, 2024 and 2025

    Request received: 17 April 2026

    Innovate UK Bio Medical Catalyst in 2023, 2024 and 2025 Information Required for each round of IUK BMC in 2023, 2024 and 2025 broken down by stream 1 and stream 2:

    - Total Number of Applications Submitted for each round

    - Total Number of Applications Assessed for each round

    - Total Number of Applications that passed the threshold for innovation in each round

    - Total number of applications that were considered in the portfolio meeting for each round

    - Total Number of Applications that were approved for funding in each round

    - Lowest grant Funding request offered to a successful applicant for the rounds

    - Highest grant Funding request offered to a successful applicant for the rounds

    - How many applications were approved for funding at portfolio stage with a lower score than applications that were considered at portfolio stage with a higher score

    Published: 1 July 2026

  5. FOI2026/00255: MRC Brain Cancer and Brain Tumour Research Funding

    Request Received: 25 March 2026

    For the financial years 2018/19 to 2024/25, please provide the following information for UKRI funded brain cancer and brain tumour research (including MRC):

     1.    Awards by year\ A table showing, by financial year:

    • number of awards starting, and

    • total value (£).

    2.    Payment timing\ For each award, or the nearest recorded summary if award level detail would exceed the cost limit:

    • approval or decision date.

    • date of first payment, or confirmation that payment has not yet been made.

    3.    Approval roles\ The role titles responsible for approving awards and authorising first payments.

     Please state “not held” where information is not held.

    Clarification Received: 23 April 2026

    This letter constitutes my final refinement of FOI2026/00255. It is expressly drafted to fall within the section 12 cost limit and to require disclosure under sections 1 and 16 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

    1. ABSOLUTE SCOPE (NON-NEGOTIABLE)
    Research Council: Searches must be limited exclusively to the Medical Research Council (MRC).
    Time Period: Financial years 2015/16 to 2024/25 inclusive.
    Subject Identification: Awards already recorded as relating to brain cancer or brain tumours, determined solely by existing fields such as titles, abstracts, keywords, or classification codes. No manual review is requested.
    Funding Types: Researcher-led or investigator-led grants and strategic funding programmes only. Fellowships, studentships, training, and infrastructure awards are explicitly excluded.

    2. INFORMATION REQUIRED (AGGREGATED ONLY)
    For each financial year: total number of awards and total aggregate value (£). Where already held, a breakdown by funding scheme or call and approval/decision year.

    3. EXPLICIT EXCLUSIONS
    No first payment dates, payment authorisation data, staff names or roles, or any award-level manual review. Data not readily extractable should be disregarded and not relied upon to engage section 12.

    4. PARTIAL DISCLOSURE
    If any discrete element exceeds the cost limit, all information that can be provided within the limit must still be disclosed, with remaining information supplied in aggregated or summary form where possible.

    5. SECTION 16 DUTY TO ASSIST
    Any claim that further refinement is required must specify exactly which element exceeds the cost limit, provide a separate cost estimate, and confirm what information will be disclosed regardless.

    6. SEARCH CERTIFICATION
    Please confirm that systematic searches were conducted across all relevant MRC central grant and award management systems using objective criteria aligned with this request.

    Published: 30 June 2026

  6. FOI2026/00322: Biomedical Catalyst 2025 - Industry led R&D large and small projects

    Request received: 14 April 2026

    For Biomedical Catalyst 2025: Industry led R&D large projects and Industry led R&D small projects - 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. Average grant fund value per project

    8. Average score of funded projects

    Published: 29 June 2026

  7. FOI2026/00316: Biomedical Catalyst Competition Statistics (2021-2026)

    Request received: 10th April 2026

    I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding the Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst (BMC) programme. Please provide the following information for each Biomedical Catalyst competition round from 2021 to 2026 inclusive:

    1. Total number of applications submitted

    2. Number of applications assessed

    3. Number of projects funded (awards made)

    4. Total funding budget available for each round

    Published: 24 June 2026

  8. FOI2026/00333: Daresbury Laboratory - Contracts for IT/security/maintenance services

    Request received: 15 April 2026

    1. Between 2005 and 2013, did the Daresbury Laboratory contract with any third-party company to provide security and/or maintenance services for its data centre facilities? If so, please provide:

    (a) The name(s) of the company/companies contracted
    (b) The approximate dates of the contract(s)
    (c) A brief description of the services provided

    2. During this period, did any third-party company providing IT, network, or security services to Daresbury Laboratory have offices or workspace based in or at the same site as the Laboratory?

    Published: 23 June 2026

  9. FOI2026/00332: Correspondence about KPIs of the ‘Replacing Animals in Science’ Strategy

    Request Received: 17 April 2026

    In your previous response (FOI2026/00223), you stated that "As a delivery partner, UKRI makes suggestions which OLS uses in their decision making" specifically regarding the development of reporting and monitoring requirements.

    I am writing to request:

    All correspondence, briefing notes, or formal submissions sent by UKRI (including but not limited to the Medical Research Council) to the Office for Life Sciences (OLS) between November 2025 and the date of this request regarding suggested Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or monitoring metrics for the "Replacing animals in science" strategy.

    Minutes of any meetings between UKRI and OLS where the "phase-out" progress metrics or KPI development were discussed.

    Published: 17 June 2026

  10. FOI2026/00283: Winter 2026 Energy Exposure

    Request Received: 30 March 2026

    Given the material financial impact of energy price volatility on public bodies in recent years, there is clear public interest in understanding the level of exposure to future energy costs across organisations funded directly or indirectly by taxpayers, and how potential cost risk is being managed ahead of Winter 2026.

    Request: As of 23rd March 2026, for the period Winter 2026 (1-Oct-26 to 31-Mar-27), what approximate percentage (%) of your organisation’s expected energy consumption remains unsecured / exposed to market pricing, please confirm:

    • Organisation Name: -

    • Electricity %: -

    • Gas %: -

    Notes: -

    • A rough % estimate is sufficient

    • Please provide a single percentage covering your overall portfolio

    • No detailed volume, pricing or contract information is requested

    • This request relates only to high-level exposure and does not seek commercially sensitive information.

    Published: 17 June 2026