Wales Universities Join Forces to Unlock More UKRI Research Money 2026

Key Points

• Wales Office Minister Anna McMorrin has convened a roundtable that brought together all Welsh universities and the CEO of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
• The universities have agreed to collaborate more closely, marking what officials describe as a “new chapter” for Wales’s higher education sector.
• The initiative aims to increase Wales’s share of UKRI funding, which currently stands at just 3%, despite the strong international performance of its research base.
• The roundtable focused on strategies to remove barriers to funding success, strengthen engagement on future bids, and align more closely with the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy and UKRI’s emerging place-based strategy.
• University leaders have committed to deepening collaboration through existing initiatives such as the Welsh Innovation Network, with a view to building stronger research capacity and improving bid success rates.
• Minister McMorrin said the effort is about recognising strengths across all nations and regions, not about seeking “special treatment”.
• Sir Ian Chapman, chief executive of UKRI, said the roundtable demonstrated growing momentum for collaboration and pledged UKRI’s support to translate this into tangible impact for Welsh communities.
• The Wales Office will continue working with UKRI and Welsh universities to implement the outcomes and support a more coordinated approach to research and innovation funding.
• The initiative is expected to unlock more jobs, investment and economic growth by building on Wales’s world‑class research strengths.
• Welsh universities are described as “anchor institutions” that drive local economic growth, support businesses, develop skills and create high‑quality jobs.

Wales (Wales Times) July 07, 2026 — Wales Office Minister Anna McMorrin has brought Welsh universities together with the CEO o UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to boost collaboration and help Wales secure more research and innovation funding, according to an official statement released by the Wales Office. The universities agreed to collaborate more closely, marking what officials call a new chapter for the Higher Education sector in Wales, with the initiative designed to unlock more jobs, investment and economic growth by building on Wales’s world‑class research strengths.

The roundtable, chaired by Minister McMorrin, focused on how closer working could help Wales increase its share of UKRI funding and maximise the contribution of Welsh universities to the UK’s wider growth and innovation agenda, as well as supporting growth and opportunity across the country. During the discussion, universities set out their shared commitment to deepen collaboration across the sector, including through existing initiatives such as the Welsh Innovation Network, with a collective approach aimed at building stronger research capacity, increasing competitiveness and improving the success rates of bids into UKRI funding programmes.

Why is closer university collaboration needed in Wales now?

Welsh universities are central to the economy of Wales and the UK, acting as anchor institutions in communities across the country, according to the Wales Office statement. They play a vital role in driving economic growth, supporting local businesses, developing skills and creating high‑quality jobs, yet Wales currently receives only 3% of UKRI funding despite the strong performance and international standing of its research base.

This disparity between the strength of Wales’s research and its share of national funding has underpinned the push for a more coordinated approach, as reported by the Wales Office. Ministers and university leaders have argued that by working more closely together and in partnership, Welsh institutions can go further and faster in supporting jobs, investment and innovation across the country.

What did Minister Anna McMorrin say about the new approach?

As reported by the Wales Office, Minister McMorrin said: “Universities are central to growing the economy and creating opportunities in every part of Wales. By bringing our universities together with UKRI, we are taking a more strategic and collaborative approach to ensuring Wales can compete effectively for research and innovation funding”. She added that the move is about unlocking potential, noting that while Welsh universities are already delivering world‑class research, working more closely together can help them support jobs, investment and innovation more effectively.

Minister McMorrin also stressed that the initiative is not about special treatment, but about making sure the UK’s research funding system fully recognises the strengths that exist in every nation and region. Her remarks were framed in the context of a government emphasis on place‑based strategies and the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy, which the roundtable explored as part of discussions on aligning future research bids.

How does UKRI view the collaboration among Welsh universities?

Sir Ian Chapman, Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation, said: “The roundtable showed the strength of Wales’ universities and their commitment to align with UKRI and UK Government priorities. The universities demonstrated growing momentum to deepen collaboration across Wales, including through the Wales Innovation Network, to boost success in research funding”. He stated that UKRI is keen to work with partners to translate this momentum into tangible impact for the Welsh economy and communities, unlocking Wales’s full potential.

According to the Wales Office statement, the round table also explored how UKRI and Welsh universities can work together to remove barriers to funding success and strengthen engagement on future research bids. This includes ensuring closer alignment with the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy and UKRI’s emerging place-based strategy, as well as developing a more coordinated approach to how bids are prepared and submitted.

What practical steps are universities taking to improve funding success?

During the discussion, universities set out their shared commitment to deepen collaboration across the sector, including through existing initiatives such as the Welsh Innovation Network, as reported by the Wales Office. The collective approach aims to build a stronger research capacity, increase competitiveness and improve the success rates of bids into UKRI funding programmes, according to the official statement.

The Wales Office said it will continue to work with UKRI and Welsh universities to take forward the outcomes of the discussion and support a more coordinated and effective approach to research and innovation funding in Wales. This ongoing work is expected to include follow‑up meetings, joint planning of bids, and potentially the development of shared support structures for researchers seeking UKRI funding.

Background of the development

The push for closer collaboration among Welsh universities arises in a context where Wales’s higher education institutions have built strong international reputations in areas such as life sciences, engineering, social sciences and digital technologies, yet have historically secured a relatively small share of UKRI funding compared to their performance and the size of their research base. The current 3% share of UKRI funding for Wales has been a long‑standing concern among university leaders, regional development agencies and government ministers, who have argued that the funding distribution does not fully reflect the quality and impact of research conducted in Welsh institutions.

The Wales Office, working with UKRI and the devolved administrations, has increasingly emphasised place‑based strategies that seek to tailor research and innovation support to the needs and strengths of different regions within the UK. The roundtable chaired by Minister McMorrin represents a formalisation of this approach at the national level for Wales, bringing together all Welsh universities and the chief executive of UKRI in a single strategic discussion, rather than relying on fragmented, institution‑by‑institution engagement. The agreement to deepen collaboration through mechanisms such as the Welsh Innovation Network reflects a move towards a more system‑level approach to research funding, with universities seen as anchor institutions that can drive regional economic development.

Prediction: How this development can affect Welsh students, researchers and communities

If the new collaborative approach succeeds in raising Wales’s share of UKRI funding, Welsh students and early‑career researchers could benefit from increased availability of postgraduate scholarships, research assistant roles and training opportunities linked to UKRI‑funded projects. Greater funding success is likely to expand the number of large, multi‑institution research projects involving Welsh universities, which in turn can create more structured pathways for students to gain experience in cutting‑edge research and to develop skills that are attractive to employers in both the public and private sectors.

For Welsh communities and local economies, the development could translate into more research‑driven jobs, increased investment in innovation hubs, and stronger links between universities and local businesses, particularly in sectors such as advanced manufacturing, health technologies and digital services. By positioning universities as anchor institutions that coordinate research activity across the country, the initiative may help distribute economic benefits more widely across Wales, supporting not only major cities but also smaller towns and rural areas where universities have significant local presence. Over time, if the collaborative model is sustained, it could contribute to a measurable uplift in Wales’s contribution to the UK’s overall research and innovation output, potentially reshaping how the nation is perceived in national and international research landscapes.