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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

UK research and innovation funding ‘should be devolved’. Some regional research successes “almost completely neglected” by government, warns R&D policy expert @richardaljones.bsky.social www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

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UK research and innovation funding ‘should be devolved’ - Research Professional News

Some regional research successes “almost completely neglected” by government, warns R&D policy expert Richard Jones

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Multibillion EU Scaleup Fund can support UK companies. Pre-Christmas summit could also see British access to European fund for growing technology startups expand. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-i...

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Multibillion EU Scaleup Fund can support UK companies - Research Professional News

Pre-Christmas summit could also see British access to European fund for growing technology startups expand

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Experts question universities’ ability to vet Chinese funding. MI5 espionage warning prompts call for more intelligence sharing to help universities with research security. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

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Experts question universities’ ability to vet Chinese funding - Research Professional News

MI5 espionage warning prompts call for more intelligence sharing to help universities with research security

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Opinion: Universities are failing at mission-led research—here’s how to fix it. Jonathan Breckon and Geoff Mulgan explain how institutions can tackle society's most urgent crises. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...

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Universities are failing at mission-led research—here’s how to fix it - Research Professional News

Jonathan Breckon and Geoff Mulgan explain how institutions can tackle society's most urgent crises

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The head of the Economic and Social Research Council said he wants it to support a wider range of research projects and reward more risk-taking, as the council revamps its applicant-led funding schemes. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

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ESRC targets project diversity and risk-taking in grants shake-up - Research Professional News

Metascience insights feed through as research council previews three new applicant-led schemes

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Scottish university finances worsen despite more public funds. Scottish Funding Council report also forecasts declining research income through to 2027-28. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

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Scottish university finances worsen despite more public funds - Research Professional News

Scottish Funding Council report also forecasts declining research income through to 2027-28

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Robin Bisson @robinbisson.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The Labour Party conference didn’t deliver any surprises on R&D, but it was possible to feel which way the wind is blowing I sat down with Emily Darlington MP to talk about it. As an adviser during the New Labour years, both on science and within the Treasury, she had some important insights

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Robin Bisson @robinbisson.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

We were told at the start of the year that MRC funding boards had been told to recommend far fewer grants for funding than normal It took a while for the data to come through, but they confirm success rates were down by a big margin The question is now whether the new MRC model will reverse that

A far smaller share of applicants were awarded grants by MRC funding boards in Spring 2026 than in previous years

Only 26 awards were made in Spring 2026, compared to 57 in Spring 2024

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Over 100 UK academics funded via Chinese spy agency, MI5 warns. Security service issues alert to UK universities over research theft. Our report (free to read) includes response from science and innovation minister Chris McDonald. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

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Over 100 UK academics funded via Chinese spy agency, MI5 warns - Research Professional News

Security service issues alert to UK universities over research theft

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Harriet Swain @harrietswain.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Andy Westwood examines what Andy Burnham’s leadership of the country could mean for universities. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...

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This Charming Man - Research Professional News

Andy Westwood considers what Andy Burnham will offer higher education at the Labour Party conference

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Healey tipped to be pro-research chancellor ahead of crunch budget. Exclusive: Labour MP and former science adviser Emily Darlington tells @robinbisson.bsky.social she foresees a return to joined-up R&D policy. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

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Healey tipped to be pro-research chancellor ahead of crunch budget - Research Professional News

Labour MP and former science adviser Emily Darlington sees return to joined-up R&D policy

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John Morgan @johnmorgan3.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Significant comments from @profbriancox.bsky.social at Labour conference fringe, criticising the economic growth remit UKRI has been given as the cause of "serious problems" in science. He also got into the philosophy of how research contributes to growth...

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

MRC success rates drop sharply after grants overhaul. Warnings of “catastrophic” impact on medical researchers as some rates fall below 5 per cent. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

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MRC success rates drop sharply after grants overhaul - Research Professional News

Warnings of “catastrophic” impact on medical researchers as some rates fall below 5 per cent

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Brian Cox: research system ‘cannot be used to engineer growth’. Labour 2026: Star physicist warns UKRI’s economic remit is causing “serious problems”. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

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Brian Cox: research system ‘cannot be used to engineer growth’ - Research Professional News

Labour 2026: Star physicist warns UKRI’s economic remit is causing “serious problems”

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Andy Burnham at Labour 2026: "I want to get back to a Britain where young people starting out are able to buy a home like my mum and dad did, like I did. They have had it tougher than us, working hard, paying bills, trying to save, but looking at a student loan which never gets any smaller."

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

UK ‘should be merciless’ in attracting foreign researchers. Labour 2026: Emily Thornberry supports Global Talent Fund expansion, as science secretary backs UKRI chief. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

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UK ‘should be merciless’ in attracting foreign researchers - Research Professional News

Labour 2026: Emily Thornberry supports Global Talent Fund expansion, as science secretary backs UKRI chief

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The UK is “choking” on its inability to commercialise curiosity-driven research, the science minister has told Research Professional News at the Labour Party conference www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

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Science minister: UK ‘choking’ on failure to commercialise research - Research Professional News

Labour 2026: Chris McDonald also says government must address London skew of venture capital funding

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Government funds just 16p in every £1 spent on teaching. Balance of higher education funding now “badly out of whack”, says Universities UK chief. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

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Government funds just 16p in every £1 spent on teaching - Research Professional News

Balance of higher education funding now “badly out of whack”, says Universities UK chief

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Institutions urged to do research ‘with the public, not to them’. Labour 2026: Devolution offers chance to connect public with R&D. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-i...

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Institutions urged to do research ‘with the public, not to them’ - Research Professional News

Labour 2026: Devolution offers chance to connect public with R&D

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Funder defends data security after AI row. A research network at the centre of a controversy over the use of “AI-based triage” to reject funding applications has said confidentiality was “entirely safeguarded” following concerns over data privacy. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

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Funder defends data security after ‘AI-based triage’ row - Research Professional News

Research network which rejected applicants for UKRI funds using AI says confidentiality was “entirely safeguarded”

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

New evidence raises questions for UKRI on edited STFC minutes Funder insists amended minutes are “accurate summary”, despite differing with slide presented to council www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

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New evidence raises questions for UKRI on edited STFC minutes - Research Professional News

Funder insists amended minutes are “accurate summary”, despite differing with slide presented to council

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Robin Bisson @robinbisson.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Update on the "AI-based triage" which is getting lots of (negative) attention

In recent days, there have also been several reports on social media of applicants seemingly being rejected after “AI-based triage”. The funding, while originating from UKRI, was devolved to the Crane network, which is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to strengthen the UK’s cybersecurity research ecosystem.

UKRI confirmed it did not carry out the AI triage process. A spokesperson said: “UKRI policy does not allow the use of generative AI to conduct application assessment. We are following up with the Crane network to review this situation in detail and ensure compliance with our assessment conditions.”

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

AI ‘could filter out weaker grant proposals’, study suggests. Preprint analysing automated scoring of applications for UKRI funding comes amid reports of AI-based rejections. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-i...

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Robin Bisson @robinbisson.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Some strong criticism of Aria from Paul Drayson - science entrepreneur, former science minister, HoL science committee member 4/5 winners of £100m for enhancing impact of Aria research - including founding/growing companies - went to orgs outside the UK

“I don’t understand why Aria isn’t using the very strong science and innovation ecosystem on-shore in the UK, especially given the challenges the UK faces economically, and the pressure on UK science funding and our universities. In the context of cuts to physics programmes, for example, it’s very hard to justify why public funding is being used like this,” Drayson said.

“It raises serious questions about what Aria is doing and whether there is enough oversight of it,” he said.

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

ResearchPlus chief says fewer, longer grants could ‘stifle’ system. Johnny Rich warns of over-concentrating funding “in a few places, and with a few individuals”. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

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ResearchPlus chief says fewer, longer grants could ‘stifle’ system - Research Professional News

Johnny Rich warns of over-concentrating funding “in a few places, and with a few individuals”

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Aria funding for foreign partners ‘hard to justify’. Former science minister raises concerns as agency announces only one UK-based “activation partner”. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

researchprofessionalnews.com

Aria funding for foreign partners ‘hard to justify’ - Research Professional News

Former science minister raises concerns as agency announces only one UK-based “activation partner”

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Craig Nicholson @clanicholson.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Opinion: The real test of the Innovation Act may be whether the EU can connect it successfully with the other parts of its emerging research and innovation architecture, writes @danandree.bsky.social www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Scrap international student levy, Russell Group urges chancellor. Mission group chief Libby Hackett writes to John Healey ahead of October budget. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

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Scrap international student levy, Russell Group urges chancellor - Research Professional News

Mission group chief Libby Hackett writes to John Healey ahead of October budget

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Out today - the latest edition of Research Europe! Get all the articles on the link below, or see the replies for some of the highlights. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Research security: risks, benefits and ways forward. Institutions and researchers must navigate a security minefield—academic engagement and policy reforms are crucial, writes @harrietswain.bsky.social. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

researchprofessionalnews.com

Research security: risks, benefits and ways forward - Research Professional News

Institutions and researchers must navigate a security minefield—academic engagement and policy reforms are crucial

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

‘Battle’ ahead to create new researcher-led EU funding. Ideas advance for bottom-up FP10 funding of research networks, but political and practical obstacles loom. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

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‘Battle’ ahead to create new researcher-led EU funding - Research Professional News

Ideas advance for bottom-up FP10 funding of research networks, but political and practical obstacles loom

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

UK’s global R&D fund turns to tech with fresh £611m International Science Partnerships Fund shifts towards areas of “strength and strategic importance” www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-i...

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UK’s global R&D fund turns to tech with fresh £611m - Research Professional News

International Science Partnerships Fund shifts towards areas of “strength and strategic importance”

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Craig Nicholson @clanicholson.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Race is on to protect the moon’s invaluable research environments www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-worl...

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Public support for research falls sharply when it uses AI, study finds. Scepticism over artificial intelligence in taxpayer-funded research “demonstrates fragility” of support within UK. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-i...

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Public support for research falls sharply when it uses AI, study finds - Research Professional News

Scepticism over artificial intelligence in taxpayer-funded research “demonstrates fragility” of support within UK

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Harriet Swain @harrietswain.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

As Labour prepares for its party conference, Rachel Sandby-Thomas looks at the government’s progress so far on skills. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...

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Could do better - Research Professional News

Rachel Sandby-Thomas hopes the change of prime minister will mean more progress on skills

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Former UK Space Agency boss to lead British Library. Paul Bate will take the helm of national research resource from 4 November. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-c...

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Brian Cox: UKRI’s Cern project cut ‘damages science base’. Cut will mean “reduced scientific capability” for Large Hadron Collider beauty upgrade, its board warns. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

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Brian Cox: UKRI’s Cern project cut ‘damages science base’ - Research Professional News

Cut will mean “reduced scientific capability” for Large Hadron Collider beauty upgrade, its board warns

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Craig Nicholson @clanicholson.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

A proposal for a more strategic and coordinated approach to EU technology infrastructures has split opinion over governance www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

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Bodies split over EU governance of tech infrastructures - Research Professional News

Views differ on need for dedicated organisation to steer investment and coordination

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Bodies split over EU governance of tech infrastructures. Views differ on need for dedicated organisation to steer investment and coordination. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

researchprofessionalnews.com

Bodies split over EU governance of tech infrastructures - Research Professional News

Views differ on need for dedicated organisation to steer investment and coordination

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

AI saves scientists time but adds ‘verification tax’, paper finds. Google study also finds AI pushes researchers towards “safer, more incremental projects”. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-worl...

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AI saves scientists time but adds ‘verification tax’, paper finds - Research Professional News

Google study also finds AI pushes researchers towards “safer, more incremental projects”

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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Think before tightening the assessment-funding knot. While England prepares to expand evaluation's role, other nations are loosening up, says Dorina-Maria Buda. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...

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Think before tightening the assessment-funding knot - Research Professional News

While England prepares to expand evaluation's role, other nations are loosening up, says Dorina-Maria Buda

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Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Interesting side note on the REF and research security in Chatham House report. Full article, free to read, here: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

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Craig Nicholson @clanicholson.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Closer EU-Canada academic ties ‘a home run’, with mooted Erasmus+ association potentially ‘extremely positive’ www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

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Closer EU-Canada academic ties ‘a home run’ - Research Professional News

Prospect of Canadian association to Erasmus+ “requires considerable thought” but could be “extremely positive”

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Robin Bisson @robinbisson.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Interesting to see that the "surge in volume of grant applications facilitated by AI" was being discussed by UKRI's board and executive committee in July The board are looking at "impacts to EDI and other considerations", according to meeting minutes www.ukri.org/wp-content/u...

Managing Grant Application Volume
Following detailed discussions between the Board and the Executive Committee on 14 July
2026, Andrew Mackenzie summarised the impact to grant management resources caused
by the surge in volume of grant applications facilitated by artificial intelligence.
The impact to UKRI is not unique but members agreed that UKRI is well-placed to show
leadership in this area and discussion will be ongoing with the incoming Chair. Real-time
monitoring and Board oversight will be needed to track impacts to EDI and other
considerations.

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