UKRI Funding Flows: Interactive Explorer

Published on February 15, 2026 • Built with HTML, D3.js, Tailwind CSS

UKRI Funding Flows 2026–2030

Interactive Strategy Explorer

View Breakdown By
Detail Level
Curiosity Strategic Innovation Enabling

Analysis of Funding Streams

This visualization allows you to explore the UKRI strategy from two perspectives. Use the "Breakdown By" toggle to switch between an academic subject view and an institutional destination view.

Option A: By Subject Discipline (CAH2)

This view maps the money to research topics. It is useful for understanding the balance between broad fields like Engineering versus Arts & Humanities. The deepest level uses the Common Aggregation Hierarchy Level 2 (CAH2). (Note: Level 3 CAH data is too granular for this visualization).

  • Key Insight: Notice the massive concentration of funding in Physics & Astronomy (red nodes). This is heavily inflated by international facility subscriptions (CERN, ESO), masking the squeeze on actual research grants.

Option B: By Institution / Recipient

This view maps the money to the organizations that actually receive the bank transfers. This reveals the "Golden Triangle" dominance and the role of the private sector.

  • Universities: We isolate the top 6 recipients (Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, Imperial, Edinburgh, Manchester) to show the concentration of "Curiosity" and "Talent" funding.
  • Industry: Notice the green "Innovation" stream flows almost entirely to the Private Sector via Innovate UK, bypassing universities.

Data Sources & Methodology

This Sankey diagram is a forecast model based on the UKRI 2026–2030 strategy announcements and historical statistical patterns.

1. The Financial Envelope (£38.6bn)

Derived from the UKRI Chief Executive's open letter.
[@chapman2026] Chapman, I. (2026). Open letter from Ian Chapman to research and innovation community. UKRI.

2. Subject Modelling (CAH2)

Estimated using HESA "Research Grants and Contracts" income data by cost centre.
[@hesa2024] HESA. (2024). HE Finance Record 2023/24.

3. Institutional Modelling

Allocations to universities are projected based on 2023/24 market share of UKRI income. "Private Sector" flows are estimated based on Innovate UK's historical business-led grant ratio (~75%).

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