A new fund launched by the UK government will unlock up to £50m to drive new discoveries in science and tech research.
The launch of the Research Ventures Catalyst will drive more philanthropic and private funding into UK science and tech research.
The Catalyst programme will open up bids of up to £100,000 in ‘seedcorn’ funding to allow researchers to develop full plans for their proposed ventures. Eventually, it will deliver up to £50m of investment, backed by government, with additional private and philanthropic co-investment.
The fund will also build on the UK’s position as a strong international financial centre for science and innovation and tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
The importance of science and tech research in our developing economy
Science and technology will be the major driver of prosperity, power, and history-making events this century. The UK’s future success as a rich, strong, influential country whose citizens enjoy prosperity and security and fulfilled healthy and sustainable lives will correspondingly depend on our ability to build on our existing strengths in science, technology, finance, and innovation.
UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Michelle Donelan, explained: “From Edward Jenner’s invention of the very first vaccine to the scientists in Manchester who isolated graphene, so many British breakthroughs which have changed the world would not have been possible without people who dared to do things differently and take calculated risks.
“In today’s world, science and tech research is just as important as ever. Research and innovation hold the keys to a vast range of benefits and opportunities, from radically improving healthcare to creating whole new industries in fields from quantum to engineering biology.”
She added: “This work is impossible without funding. Therefore, we’re inviting private and philanthropic partners to work with us through the Research Ventures Catalyst to put real financial firepower behind the world-leading science happening in the UK.”
How the partnerships will impact the science and technology sector
Unlocking more private and philanthropic investment in science and tech research is one of the key objectives of The UK Science and Technology Framework, which is already delivering for the UK science sector through its groundbreaking partnerships.
This framework sets out the government’s goals and vision for science and technology in an enduring framework that will see us through to 2030. It has been developed in close collaboration with the UK science and technology sector. It represents a commitment to scaling our ambition and delivering the most critical actions needed to secure a strategic advantage through science and tech research.
The government continues to engage with Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative of Eric and Wendy Schmidt, about their support of up to $20m as part of our work to spur co-investment in science and tech from private and philanthropic sources.
Delivering new, innovative, agile funding models such as these delivers on the government’s response to Sir Paul Nurse’s Landscape Review findings. It builds on the already-record levels of public sector commitment to spending on R&D. This government has invested £20 billion in R&D in 2024-2025.
