UK Government gives £80m boost to ‘life-changing’ projects

The UK Government has invested £80m in 100 “vital” projects set to deliver “life-changing” discoveries.

Researchers at 39 institutes spanning from Aberdeen to Exeter will receive a share of the funding to develop their ideas in fields ranging from healthcare and clean energy to artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

Supported by UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the “curiosity-driven” projects are poised to “push back the boundaries of human knowledge,” the government has said.

Science minister, Lord Vallance, said: “We are backing 100 ambitious projects up and down the UK which could spark the beginning of a new generation of life-changing developments, from more comfortable and effective prosthetic arms to earlier detection and prevention of blood clots.

“It is vital we support bright researchers to explore a new generation of discoveries.”

The University of Edinburgh is leading one of the Scottish-based projects set to receive a portion of the cash injection. Researchers will look into exploiting next generation X-ray sources for extreme conditions research.

Meanwhile, south of the border, the University of Bristol, will develop tailored neuro-signals for prosthetic arms to improve the sense of touch for those who have lost limb and King’s College London will study how to counter quantum attacks on messaging platforms in standard computers.

Earlier this year, experts warned Holyrood of the dangers of a hostile nation developing a quantum computer before the UK enhanced its capabilities in the area. They explained that the country could be in danger of having its national defence secrets and other key information leaked if it was unable to combat a quantum attack.

Speaking to the magazine, Elham Kashif, chief scientist at the National Quantum Computing Centre, said: “The consequences could be catastrophic. When the quantum computer comes, then you’re too late.”

Other projects set to receive support from the EPSRC will look into how machine learning could optimise robotic surgical training and technology that could help those using the British Sign Language.

Professor Charlotte Deane, EPSRC’s executive chair, said: “Discovery science is the bedrock of innovation, feeding the pipeline of progress critical to prosperity, sustainability, security, competitiveness, quality of life and resilience to future challenges.

“It’s always been a UK strength and EPSRC has always been at the forefront of maintaining and extending this. Utilising and enhancing expertise in all parts of the country, these new EPSRC-backed projects will generate a legacy of extraordinary new knowledge, with impacts felt across the UK and the globe.”