UK Research and Innovation

UK Research and Innovation We’re supporting world leading research and innovation, transforming tomorrow together.

Each year the Research Councils invest around £3 billion in research covering the full spectrum of academic disciplines from the medical and biological sciences to astronomy, physics, chemistry and engineering, social sciences, economics, environmental sciences and the arts and humanities.

09/24/2026

Caitlin was just 11 when she was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). She had no idea how much it would shape the next 16 years of her life.

JIA is an immune-mediated disease (IMID), where the body mistakenly attacks its own healthy tissue.

Living with it hasn’t just meant managing pain and uncertainty, its affected Caitlin’s mental health, education and independence too.

Right now, there’s no cure for conditions like this. Only treatments to manage symptoms. For people like Caitlin, whose disease started in childhood, that can mean a lifetime of treatment ahead.

That’s why we’re supporting research to better understand what causes IMIDs.

Researchers at the new MRC Centre of Research Excellence (MRC CoRE) for Restorative Immunology will study how healthy tissue becomes diseased, develop new treatments to restore damaged tissue, with the goal of finding a cure.

This could mean a future without the need for lifelong medication, helping to improve the lives of the millions of people living with autoimmune diseases.

Head to the link in our bio to watch the full animation of Caitlin’s story.

09/21/2026

Could technology help people with dementia stay safely and independently at home for longer?🏠

Researchers at the UK Dementia Research Institute, in collaboration with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, have developed MinderCare. An in-home monitoring service that uses discreet sensors to help spot early signs that someone may need extra support.

These sensors don't use cameras or microphones, they're placed around the home - including doors, appliances and even under the mattress - to detect movement and monitor breathing and heart rate.

The data they collect is sent securely via the cloud to a dedicated team of NHS doctors, nurses and clinicians who use it to spot changes to health or care needs, so they can intervene sooner if needed and support faster recovery.

For example, detecting subtle signs of a urinary or respiratory infection earlier, or how someone is responding to medication.

Not only helping to improve the quality of life for the person living with dementia but also providing families and care givers with a greater peace of mind.

MinderCare is currently being trialled in 100 homes across North West London, with hopes to expand it further across the NHS.



📸Images:
0:12, 0:17 UK Dementia Research Institute.
0:23, 0:26, 0:30, 01:02 Thomas Angus, Imperial College London.
0:47 David Tett, Centre for Ageing Better / Age Without Limits (used for illustrative purposes).

📸📽All other imagery and footage sourced via Getty Images and used for illustrative purposes only.

09/15/2026

These socks could improve the way we look after people with dementia.

Designed by Dr Zeke Steer, they look and feel just like normal socks but can read tiny changes in sweat, pulse and movement.

These readings can detect early signs of agitation, pain and an increased risk of falls, which can be flagged to a carer via an app, allowing them to step in and provide support earlier.

The socks are currently being trialled in care homes, exploring how they can support carers and improve care.

People living with dementia aren’t always able to tell us how they feel, so these socks could be a game changer in the way we care for those we love.

09/11/2026

Our galaxy, like we’ve never seen it before 🌌

Each horizontal line on this graph represents a spectrum captured by MOONS (a.k.a. the Multi-object Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph).

Astronomers can extract information from these lines about what a star is made of and how it’s moving in space.

MOONS’ superpower is that it allows us to gather this information from hundreds of stars or galaxies in a single observation.

MOONS was a truly international effort, with teams from the UK, Italy, France, Portugal, Switzerland, Chile and European Southern Observatory all taking part.

Images and footage:
01.10 Emission nebula: European Southern Observatory, CC BY 4.0
01.14 Centre of Milky Way: European Southern Observatory, CC BY 4.0
Images and footage of MOONS: STFC

09/01/2026

Sending your little one off to school can feel daunting - especially when you’re not quite sure what school looks like these days!

But here’s the good news: while school has changed over the years, it’s changed for the better.

From finding new ways to learn to read, to making science more accessible, to letting your summer baby start a year later, while still joining reception, research is making a big difference.

And the best bit? It’s thanks to you

UK public-funded research has helped drive these improvements, and there’s so much more to come.

08/25/2026

Here we go again – our challengers at try three more questions from our Science or Sci Fi quiz!

All the science featured is funded by UK government through UKRI.

08/18/2026

Have scientists really done this? Or is it from a galaxy far far away? Let’s see if fans at Swindon know!

Which is your favourite costume?

All the science featured is funded by UK government through UKRI.

Come back soon for part 2!

08/14/2026

We’re back with part 2!

Can beat our quiz?🏀

Stay tuned to the end to see how they get on - and don’t forget to play along in the comments👇

Could gene editing help treat inherited sight loss?Andrew has lived all his life with Best disease, a rare inherited eye...
08/14/2026

Could gene editing help treat inherited sight loss?

Andrew has lived all his life with Best disease, a rare inherited eye condition that affects central vision.

"If I look directly at your face, I can see your hair either side of it, but I can't see any features," he says. "That's why my eyes are always darting around, trying to pick up the detail."

Best disease is caused by a mutation in a gene called BEST1, and over time causes central vision to gradually deteriorate.

But a team of researchers at the London Project to Cure Blindness are hoping to change that.

Using skin cell donated by patients, they’re growing retinal cells in the lab that carry the same genetic mutation as the patient. Allowing them to study what goes wrong inside the cells in real time.

A big challenge is that there isn’t just one form of Best disease. Scientists have found more than 500 different disease-causing mutations.

So instead of developing a separate treatment for each one, the team asked: what if we could switch off the faulty copy of the gene while leaving the healthy copy untouched?

Using CRISPR gene-editing technology, that idea became possible with Andrews donated cells.

"It was really exciting," says Professor Amanda Carr. "We could see the cells recovering."

While the results are promising, researchers still need to develop safe and effective ways to deliver gene-editing therapies into patients' eyes before they can become treatments.

For Andrew, that progress represents something bigger than his own eyesight. He inherited Best disease from his father and has passed it on to his eldest daughter.

"I don't think the condition defines me," he says. "It's how I cope with it that defines me. If Amanda and her team managed to find a cure, I'd definitely take it."

Research like this is bringing hope to families affected by inherited sight loss and helping pave the way for future treatments.

Read the full story: https://www.ukri.org/news-and-events/lives-and-livelihoods/health/one-step-closer-to-curing-blindness/

08/11/2026

No one should have to travel miles for fresh food🥬

That’s why the has been bringing affordable fruit and veg directly to communities across Liverpool since 2022.

Now, researchers at the University of Liverpool are partnering with the scheme to help it go even further.

Funded by the UK Government through UKRI, they’re developing a mapping tool to identify urban ‘food deserts’ - areas that have the least access to fresh fruit and veg - to help the bus prioritise them.

Researchers will also explore whether the Queen of Greens could help residents of social housing to eat more fresh fruit and veg and improve their wellbeing and health. And if expanding the scheme could help reduce inequality across England.

Would you want something like this in your area?👇

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