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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA)

@aria-research.bsky.social
1.8K followers 12 following 225 posts

Empowering scientists to reach for the edge of the possible www.aria.org.uk

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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
aria.org.uk/opportunity-...
aria.org.uk
Funding | Robot Dexterity
Learn more about funding in ARIA's Robot Dexterity programme. Backed by £88.5m, this programme aims to transform robotic capabilities and unlock a step change in human productivity.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Proposals by 01 Dec 2026
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Our Robot Dexterity programme is now backed by £88.5m, with the expansion focused on bringing hardware components together into systems that work in the field. First call: proposals for benchmarks, standards, and shared capabilities that make dexterous robots easier to develop and deploy.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Our Robot Dexterity programme is now backed by £88.5m, with the expansion focused on bringing hardware components together into systems that work in the field. First call: proposals for benchmarks, standards, and shared capabilities that make dexterous robots easier to develop and deploy.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
We’ve funded 19 teams with the aim of making the mitochondrial genome programmable in vivo, but progress depends on them being able to reproduce and build on one another’s methods. We’re inviting proposals from teams who can make that exchange work. Proposals by 9 Nov: bit.ly/4yfOjIu
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Funding | Precision Mitochondria
Backed by at least £55m, this programme sits within the Programmable Physiology opportunity space and aims to create a foundational toolkit for engineering the mitochondrial genome in vivo. Learn more...
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Meet the 11 teams we’re backing in Universal Fabricators. They’ll develop scalable processes that use proteins to assemble inorganic and composite materials, from optical fibres to magnets. Find out more here: link.aria.org.uk/UF-Creators
A graphic with text and a blue protein structure illustration. The text reads: "What if we could use proteins as a manufacturing tool to assemble advanced industrial materials?"
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
With the capability to coordinate securely, AI agents could act reliably on our behalf, unlocking a whole range of interactions that were previously inaccessible. Meet the first teams we’re backing to build the open-source tools to make it happen: link.aria.org.uk/ST-Creators
aria.org.uk
Funded projects | Scaling Trust
Explore the projects we're funding in the Scaling Trust opportunity space.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Applications to become an ARIA Programme Director close on Monday, 28 September. If you have a vision for how science and technology can change the world – and the conviction to pursue it – we want to hear from you. Don’t miss out – apply now: aria.org.uk/become-a-programme-director
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
AI-enabled cyber attacks are getting faster + going further. But what if AI-enabled formal methods could make high-assurance cyber defence practical at unprecedented speed + scale? We’re funding eight teams with £22m to test that idea. Meet them here: link.aria.org.uk/SAI-TA2-Crea...
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Big ideas need more than funding. Today, five new Activation Partners join ARIA, bringing engineering, AI for Science and translation capabilities into our opportunity spaces. Meet Adaptyv Bio, Open Athena, Newlab, Edinburgh Genome Foundry and BioInnovation Institute: bit.ly/4cSxz2u
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
From new techniques to protect trees and amphibians from disease, to governance approaches for novel ecological interventions, meet the teams who are exploring how we can expand our conservation toolkit as part of our Accelerated Adaptation programme: link.aria.org.uk/AA-Creators
link.aria.org.uk
Funded projects | Accelerated Adaptation
Explore the project we're funding in the Accelerated Adaptation programme.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
We are now accepting concept papers for the second phase of our Forecasting Tipping Points programme, which is looking to build on understanding of the science of climate tipping points towards a usable early warning system for the North Atlantic. Apply by 9 October: link.aria.org.uk/FTP-funding
link.aria.org.uk
Funding | Resilient Climate and Ecosystems
Learn more about funding in ARIA's Forecasting Tipping Points programme.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Ahead of announcing our new Activation Partners next week, we’re reflecting on what our founding cohort has made possible. Nine partners. New tools, talent pathways, ventures, institutions and communities — all helping ambitious R&D move. Watch the video and find out more: bit.ly/3UVw2m3
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From hypothesis to headway: what our founding Activation Partners have made possible
Ahead of introducing our new cohort of Activation Partners next week, we’re looking at what our founding cohort has made possible — from new companies and research organisations to bespoke tools, tale...
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Meet the 18 R&D Creator teams we’re backing with £70m to develop aircraft that could deliver connectivity from the stratosphere. From rotorcraft to power beaming and gravity-wave soaring, they’re aiming to keep communications payloads aloft above the UK for a week. bit.ly/4rf2SKz
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Funded projects | Enduring Atmospheric Platforms
Explore the projects we're funding in the Enduring Atmospheric Platforms programme.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Two years ago, we set out to help new AI-compute systems make it from the bench to real workloads. Read the story of Scaling Compute: bit.ly/4gLROkL We’re now hiring a Director for the Scaling Inference Lab to lead its next phase. Apply: bit.ly/46OG8HT
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The future of novel compute
The success of our Scaling Compute programme and Scaling Inference Lab have shown how exploring novel computing paradigms and translating them into real-world systems is only becoming more vital.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Meet the 19 teams we’re funding in Precision Mitochondria. They’ll work on developing a genetic toolbox to make mitochondria programmable for the first time, empowering scientists to robustly investigate the link between mitochondrial health + disease. Find out more here: link.aria.org.uk/jz4
link.aria.org.uk
Funded projects | Precision Mitochondria
We're funding 19 teams of world-leading experts spanning fields from mitochondrial and engineering biology to nanotechnology. Explore the projects we're funding in the Precision Mitochondria programme.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Applications are now open to become a Programme Director, and we’re sharing some of the ideas you may find percolating around the ARIA office that are exciting us. These aren't fully-baked concepts, but intended to spark your ambition. Explore more on our website: link.aria.org.uk/PDC3-sparks
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Could machines learn to smell? 👃 In our August update: → Building a digital sense of smell → Frontier AI meets 160+ ARIA Creators → Student rockets take climate sensors skywards → New funding + Programme Director opportunities Read more: bit.ly/4zGP3bM
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
As part of our next cohort of Programme Directors, we welcome applications for co-Programme Directors whose combined strengths would shape more ambitious programme leadership. Learn more about being a co-PD and apply by 28 September: link.aria.org/PDC3-coPD
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Applications are now open for our third cohort of Programme Directors. Design and direct a research programme of around £50m within our newly evolved opportunity spaces. Decide which directions matter most and fund the teams to pursue them. Apply by 28 September: bit.ly/4g4OQY4
A collage with a central purple circle containing the text "Become an ARIA Programme Director." Surrounding the circle are images of a brain, dragonfly, Earth, a plant, a robotic hand, a satellite dish, and molecules.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Do you have a vision for how science and technology could change the world? Applications to become an ARIA Programme Director open at 3pm on Monday 17 August. Let’s build the future, together.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Can we teach machines to smell? Digital olfaction lacks the shared dataset that transformed vision + language. In Olfactory Perception, we'll fund teams to design + build the Open Olfactory Resource: a cross-domain dataset of volatile chemical signals. Apply by 30 Sep: link.aria.org.uk/OP-fp-BS
link.aria.org.uk
Funding
Learn more about funding in the Hypersensory Intelligence – Olfactory Perception programme.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
We’re excited to appoint David Lewis as Chief Science and Technology Officer. In this role, David will guide and mentor our Programme Directors as they develop ambitious programmes, strengthen ARIA’s technical culture and help us attract bold new talent and ideas into our ecosystem.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
If you would like to attend a workshop on 14 + 15 September to help shape this programme, register your interest here: aria.eventogy.com/c/Ubiquitous...
aria.eventogy.com
Ubiquitous Particle Profiling Workshop
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Our latest programme thesis, Ubiquitous Particle Profiling, proposes the development of compact, autonomous systems that can determine the size, shape and composition of airborne particulate matter in real time and trace it back to its source. Learn more: link.aria.org.uk/UPP-thesis-BS
link.aria.org.uk
Ubiquitous Particle Profiling | Programme development
Learn more about Ubiquitous Particle Profiling, a new programme we're developing in the Adaptive Machines opportunity space.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Today we're sharing seven evolved opportunity spaces that reflect what we've learned in our first 3 years about the scientific frontiers where breakthroughs could fundamentally expand what's possible. Explore them here: aria.org.uk/opportunity-spaces
aria.org.uk
Opportunity spaces
Explore ARIA’s Opportunity Spaces. Dive into our work on AI, viral resilience, ecosystem engineering, climate and more to see how we’re defining the next frontier of science.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
What if we organised research around the future technologies we want to create? On Monday at 3pm, we'll share how we're organising our research going forward, and the areas we believe could deliver the greatest breakthroughs for humanity.
Logo with the letter "A" and the text "Monday 3 August, 3pm. Watch this space..." on a gradient background transitioning from blue to yellow.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
From Arctic batteries to robot fingertips Our latest Substack explores the tools and collaborations behind ambitious science — from bespoke hardware built by Amodo Design, to Encode’s AI for Science Fellows, and tactile sensing for robotic hands. Read more: bit.ly/4vXV7tq
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From Arctic batteries to robot fingertips
Dive into our July update
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Today we’ve published our 2026 Corporate Plan. Three years in, we’ve committed £500m+ across 14 programmes, backing 200+ R&D Creator teams. In 2026, we’ll continue to strengthen pathways that turn bold ideas into transformative breakthroughs. Read the full plan: aria.org.uk/media/nwffke...
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
"The data is there – it just can’t be used.” Explore the journey of how Clouds Decoded became Earth Compress – a £7 million project tackling a bottleneck that could unlock an entire class of currently infeasible environmental science. Read the full piece. bit.ly/44KNP0L
aria.org.uk
Doubling down on Earth-scale data
Explore the journey of how Clouds Decoded, a Scoping Our Planet opportunity seed, became Earth Compress – a £7million project tackling a bottleneck that could unlock an entire class of currently infeasible environmental science.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
We’re delighted to welcome Dan Cole as ARIA’s first Chief Translation Officer. Dan will work across our programmes to shape the pathways, funding models and partnerships needed to turn breakthrough science into life-changing technologies and new industries.
Dan Cole speaking with an ARIA sign in the background.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
☁️ Your June update: clouds, Star Trek, and live seed funding. Read the full piece now + subscribe: bit.ly/4aGCLW7
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Clouds, clouds, everywhere...
Your June update
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Meet the 11 teams we’re funding in Sustained Viral Resilience 💥 Backed by £57m, they’ll unlock a new class of medicines that provide durable, broad-spectrum protection against respiratory viruses by engineering the innate immune system. Read more: link.aria.org.uk/svr-creators-bs
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
What if crops could grow in the dark, with little or no reliance on photosynthesis? Ivan Jayapurna is exploring whether this question could form the basis of a future programme to unlock a new generation of vertical farming. Read our current thinking and share your thoughts: bit.ly/4b6zVJU
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Can we grow crops without photosynthesis to make vertical farming stack up?
The Manufacturing Abundance team at ARIA has been incubating an early idea we are referring to as lights-out agriculture: crops that are grown with no reliance on photosynthesis, and whether that coul...
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
We’re hiring a Technical & Translational Lead for our Safeguarded AI programme. Help drive a £20m funding call using AI-enabled formal methods to build and red-team cyber defences for critical systems. Apply by 28 June: bit.ly/4xOM7ZK
Technical + Translational Lead
Apply by 28 June 2026

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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
North-East innovators: let’s talk breakthrough funding. Join us in Newcastle for ARIA x North-East: A conversation about ambitious R&D, overlooked opportunities, future Programme Directors, and how bold ideas can connect with breakthrough funding. Register: bit.ly/3QA9QvK
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ARIA x North-East: Opening New Routes to Breakthrough Funding · Luma
The Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) is a UK R&D funding agency built to unlock scientific and technological breakthroughs that could benefit…
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Introducing Mast-EER: a new Masters by Research at @exeter.ac.uk funded through our Engineering Ecosystem Resilience opportunity space to develop interdisciplinary ecosystem researchers of the future. Apply by 31 July for a September start: ecologyconservation.exeter.ac.uk/ma…
ecologyconservation.exeter.ac.uk
Mast-EER Cohort | Ecology and Conservation | University of Exeter
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
We’re hiring a Science & Technology Lead to work with Claire Donoghue on ARIA’s Hypersensory Intelligence: Digital Olfaction programme — building an artificial “sense of smell” that matches or exceeds biology. Apply by 28 June 2026: bit.ly/4xAN1bW
Science + Technology Lead 

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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Could thicker winter sea ice slow summer melt? As covered by The Guardian, we’re funding the Re-Thickening Arctic Sea Ice project to test whether accelerating natural freezing could help preserve Arctic sea ice longer — and whether it could be feasible, scalable and safe. bit.ly/4uF8kGC
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‘At first, the idea does sound crazy’: meet the scientists trying to refreeze the Arctic
Sea ice is melting fast, worsening the climate crisis, but a bold attempt to rethicken it is showing early signs of success
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
How can advances in robot locomotion help solve real operational problems? We're sharing a programme thesis and inviting people to register their interest in our Robot Locomotion Discovery Workshop in York (30 June–1 July 2026). Thesis: bit.ly/4v6GNPB Workshop: bit.ly/49RUFEP
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Programme development | Smarter Robot Bodies
See how we're shaping the direction of a potential new programme on robot locomotion.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Meet our Engineering Ecosystem Resilience seed Creators 🌱 Backed by up to £500k, these projects span advanced ecosystem sensing, nature-based interventions, autonomous robots and molecular tools for conservation. Discover the teams: link.aria.org.uk/EER-seed-creators-BS
link.aria.org.uk
Opportunity seeds
Learn more about opportunity seeds projects we're funding in the Engineering Ecosystem Resilience opportunity space.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
🌍From the Lab to the World On her 100th day as ARIA CEO, Kathleen reflects on what it takes to turn breakthrough science into real-world impact. Plus: neurotechnology, smarter robot bodies, funding opportunities, and frontier reads. Read more and subscribe: bit.ly/4fOb1lx
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May update: From the lab to the world
News and opportunities
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Seeking teams to test whether AI-enabled formal methods can make high-assurance cyber defense practical, at scale, through building production-grade software components backed by machine-checked proofs and validated through coordinated red-team exercises. bit.ly/49Wif30
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Funding | Safeguarded AI
Learn more about funding in ARIA's Safeguarded AI programme.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
We’re hiring a Science + Technology Lead in our Smarter Robot Bodies opportunity space to help shape a new programme exploring more efficient robot locomotion. We’re looking for a roboticist with expertise in robot locomotion. Apply before this Sunday (May 17). bit.ly/4dbssuL
"Science + Technology Lead" is written in bold black letters on a gradient background transitioning from light blue to light purple.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Announcing our first cohort of Innovator Circles: high-trust peer groups to shape ideas at the frontier of science and tech. bit.ly/4eE24Lf
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Breaking bread over breaking science
Announcing our first cohort of Innovator Circles: high-trust peer groups to shape ideas at the frontier of science and tech
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Breakthroughs don’t create impact on their own — systems do. That’s the role of our Activation Partners: unlocking ideas, empowering talent, and building pathways that move research into the real world. If you’re working on new models of science, entrepreneurship or AI: bit.ly/4c4ngXT
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Become an Activation Partner
We've launched a £100m call to recruit up to 8-10 new Activation Partners to design and run bespoke activities across our opportunity spaces.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
⏰ No time for stasis: using time as a design principle In our April update: - Funding, opportunities, and more - Why our Programme Directors are term-limited - New UK FROs: Echo Labs + Meridial - Moving research into real-world trials Read more: bit.ly/4tI3w3H
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No time for stasis: using time as a design principle
Our April update
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
🚀 ARIA is looking for a partner to help deliver our R&D programmes and improve how we operate. Acting as an embedded extension of ARIA, you’ll support decision-making and delivery across the portfolio. 📅 Webinar 26 May: bit.ly/49k8Odt ⏰ Proposals due: 16 June: bit.ly/4d9oDWI
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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom ...
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
🚨 Final call: We’re looking for a communications & engagement partner to work alongside our team, bringing strong strategic and creative capabilities. Help us enhance ARIA’s visibility, strengthen our narrative, and amplify the impact of our programmes. ⏰ Deadline 1 May: bit.ly/4d9oDWI
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Supply to us
From core operational services to specialised programme support, we work with providers who can help us run efficiently and effectively.
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
🚀 We’re hiring Science & Technology Leads at ARIA Help shape bold, high-risk R&D at the frontier of science and tech. Opportunities: • Mathematics for Safe AI • Nature Computes Better • Trust Everything, Everywhere • Smarter Robot Bodies 👉 aria.pinpointhq.com
aria.pinpointhq.com
Careers at ARIA
Learn more about working at ARIA and discover our latest career opportunities
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