Tag: UKRI

UKRI challenge reveals impact on plastic packaging sustainability

Stuart Mitchell

UKRI’s Smart Sustainable Packaging (SSPP) Challenge, has revealed new data on its sizeable impact on UK plastic packaging sustainability and circularity. The SSPP Challenge has revealed that its work has boosted UK plastics recycling infrastructure. It has also enabled potential carbon dioxide equivalent savings of more than 1.5 million tonnes between 2025 and 2030 as its funded projects have come online and reached commercial scale operation. The challenge is delivered by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The contribution of the £60 million challenge to driving plastic…

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UK Research and Innovation publishes gender pay gap report

Stuart Mitchell

The sixth annual gender pay gap report highlights the percentage difference between the average hourly earnings for males and females across the organisation. The gender pay gap is a measure across all jobs in UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), not of the difference in pay between males and females for doing the same job. UKRI’s mean gender pay gap (GPG) has narrowed by 0.6 percentage points since 2022.The figures show that in 2024, UKRI’s mean gender pay gap was 9.0%, 1.3 percentage points higher than the UK national GPG, which…

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UKRI updates funding policies to improve research sustainability

Stuart Mitchell

UKRI is improving financial sustainability by updating its approach to equipment costs, capital thresholds and clarifying its position on matched funding. The UK research community is set to benefit from key changes in UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) approach to equipment costs and capital thresholds, as well as clearer guidance on institutional matched funding. This will help support long-term financial sustainability in research and innovation From 1 April 2025, UKRI will introduce these changes on new funding opportunities launched in the UKRI Funding Service to: improve cost recovery streamline funding…

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UKRI is increasing PhD stipends and improving student support

Stuart Mitchell

UKRI is increasing the minimum stipend we pay PhD students by 8% to £20,780 from 1 October 2025 and updating our doctoral training grant terms and conditions. This is the largest real terms increase in the stipend for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funded students since 2003. The changes we are making to the terms and conditions that govern our funding for doctoral training will take effect from the start of the 2025 to 2026 academic year. These changes include: allowing students to take up to 28 weeks medical leave…

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UK supply chains get safeguarding boost

Stuart Mitchell

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) awards £13 million to make UK supply chains more resilient. Queen’s University Belfast has been awarded £5 million to create a new network plus for reimagining supply chains in food, fashion and critical minerals. An additional £7.25 million has been shared among five research projects focused on strengthening the UK’s food system. New centre for reimagining supply chains The ReImagining Supply Chains Network Plus (RiSC+) will bring together experts from academia, industry and government to map out potential supply chain disruptions and find ways to…

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