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Aligning to the UK’s strategic priorities for innovation  

The UK’s research and innovation landscape is shifting—profoundly and rapidly. With UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) reshaping how it allocates its £38.6bn settlement for 2026–2030, universities must not only understand these changes but position themselves to seize the opportunities they create. At Nottingham, our strengths place us in an enviable position. But as the UK intensifies its focus on strategic growth, commercialisation, and regional impact, we must also reflect on how we can evolve, lead, and partner more effectively. 

In this piece, I share how the º£½ÇºÚÁÏ can align with the nation’s priorities, drive innovation-led transformation, and help shape the stronger, more resilient society the UK aims to build. 

A new UKRI landscape: funding around strategic priorities 

UKRI is moving away from traditional research council allocations and instead channelling funding through three core ‘R&D buckets’:  

• Foundational, curiosity-driven research 
• Strategic government and societal priorities 
• Support for innovative companies 

This marks a deliberate shift toward outcomes, scale-up potential, and demonstrable pathways to impact. A fourth bucket is cross-cutting, enabling funding for the UK’s R&D capacity, such as research infrastructure and talent programmes. 

This is an important moment for Nottingham. Our research strengths, collaborative ethos, and proven commercialisation capability mean we are well-placed to support the UK’s missions for growth and societal resilience. 

The IS8 and strategic growth areas: a natural fit for Nottingham 

The IS8 is policymakers’ parlance for the eight growth-driving sectors identified in the UK Industrial Strategy, which in turn informs UKRI’s shift towards more strategic funding priorities.  

The good news is that our established research strengths, including engineering biology, advanced manufacturing,  creative and digital technologies, and MedTech, align well with the IS8. Funding for strategic priority areas is rising sharply and we can expect more targeted calls from UKRI, larger thematic programmes, and stronger interdisciplinary expectations. This will give us further opportunities to build our capacity in these areas, while underlining the importance of building a narrative around our research strengths and the university’s positioning as a partner of choice.  

Innovation, commercialisation and spinouts: our growing strategic value 

A key component of UKRI’s new approach is the emphasis on commercialisation and the growth of innovative companies. With £7bn allocated to supporting business-led innovation, scaleups will play a central role in the UK’s economic future. 

Nottingham has a long-standing reputation for sectorleading IP commercialisation and spinout success. We are: 

• 10th in the UK and 37th in Europe for Life Sciences and DeepTech spinouts

• Home to 40+ active spinouts, including 25 launched in the past seven years

• Seeing strong momentum with three new spinouts in 2024–25 and six more in the pipeline 

Recent major investment into NuVision Biotherapies, Neupulse, and MatAlytics demonstrates the quality of our research and strength of our innovation ecosystem. I was also pleased to see my own spinout, Promethean Particles, featured in a UKRI review highlighting how universities can contribute to Industrial Strategy priorities, in this case clean energy.

ICURe: Supporting researchers from idea to impact 

Our researchers are frequently taking the opportunity to advance early-stage innovations through Innovate UK’s flagship research commercialisation programme, Innovation-to-Commercialisation of University Research ().  Our ongoing success in the ICURe programme reflects the strength of the university’s research commercialisation ecosystem, with expert guidance from the university’s IP Commercialisation Office (IPCO) and  Innovation Hubs.  Projects such as Elastiheal in the School of Pharmacy and Biosee AI in Engineering demonstrate the breadth of innovation emerging from Nottingham—and their potential for real-world impact, from treating chronic wounds to transforming bioprocess monitoring. 

Strengthening our regional innovation ecosystem 

The Midlands generates 14.5% of UK spinouts, yet historically receives less early-stage investment than the Golden Triangle. Addressing this imbalance is essential—not just for regional equity but for national competitiveness. 

Our strategic partnerships are central to closing this gap:

• Midlands Mindforge, improving access to patient capital

• Forging Ahead, a £16m programme uniting 16 Midlands universities to revolutionise commercialisation

• The East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), shaping the region’s response to the £500m Local Innovation Partnership Fund

• The East Midlands Investment Zone, a £160m initiative to drive place-based innovation

Forging Ahead’s new SPARK The Midlands, hosted at the UoN Innovation Park, is a standout example. By bringing a worldleading pre-clinical accelerator model to the region, SPARK is already enabling pioneering health technologies—including novel therapies for Clostridioides difficile infection—to move closer to market. 

These programmes reinforce Nottingham’s anchoring role in the Midlands innovation ecosystem and increase our competitiveness in securing UKRI’s priorityaligned investments.

Recognising leadership in knowledge exchange

I am delighted that George Rice has now been appointed permanently as the university’s Director of Knowledge Exchange and Business Engagement. George has shown outstanding leadership during a year of significant structural change, helping strengthen Nottingham’s national profile in innovation and spinouts. This continuity of leadership will be invaluable as the UK’s R&I environment continues to evolve.

Well-positioned for new area of mission-driven investment

The UK is entering a new era of mission-driven, outcomes-focused research and innovation investment. Universities are increasingly expected to not only generate world-leading discoveries, but to translate them into societal and economic benefit, nurture vibrant innovation ecosystems, and act as engines of regional development.

The º£½ÇºÚÁÏ is exceptionally well-positioned for this moment. We have the research strengths, the innovation culture, the regional partnerships, and the strategic capacity to play a leading role in delivering the UK’s ambitions.

But success will require collective effort: clearer articulation of our strengths, deeper engagement with partners, and an unwavering focus on impact. 

If we lean into these opportunities, Nottingham can help shape not only the future of the Midlands but the future of UK innovation itself.