Can ARIA save UK innovation?

摘要

In February we had confirmation that the UK government plans to proceed with its manifesto commitment to launch a new research and innovation funding agency modelled on the US ARPA initiative, which has been credited with kickstarting several successful innovations, from the internet to self-driving cars. With an initial £800 million in funding, the new Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) aims to support high risk, high reward science, affording researchers the freedom to identify and fund transformational science and technology at speed. Establishing such an agency is a positive move and I hope this ambitious new funding mechanism will help to unlock radical innovation and enable step changes in technology that have far reaching impacts, providing value for our economy and for society at large. I hope it will also engender a spirit of freedom and entrepreneurship across the whole research and innovation funding system. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has an annual budget of well over £7 billion to support pioneering ideas, research infrastructure and international collaborations, so_it is vital that the work done through ARIA is complementary to that of UKRI, providing positive disruption and encouraging healthy competition and collaboration.