Help identify the next major research and innovation ideas for the UK

Share your ideas with UKRI and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), to help inform our future grand plans and flagship priorities. To note, this is not a process for bidding for funding but an ideas generation process via community engagement.

UKRI and DSIT are seeking your ideas to address some of the most difficult and complex challenges we face through collaborative and transformational programmes of research and innovation. The plan is to develop future innovation investment priorities which with public funding can be addressed here in the UK. That would be delivered via Pioneer Innovation funding if we do not associate with Horizon Europe, or it may be via other alternative sources of funding should they become available, in the event that we do associate to Horizon Europe.

We want to hear about ideas that will spark creativity and the enthusiasm of industry, researchers, the public and government, and shape the next generation of ground-breaking innovations.

We are aware that there will be a diversity of potential moonshot suggestions, but we are seeking ideas that align with the one of the four broad strategic priorities of Pioneer Innovation, part of UK government’s contingency plan to Horizon Europe (Pioneer: Global Science for Global Good) these are:

• health innovations (human, animal and plant) 
• green industrial growth
• resilient UK 
• transformative technologies.

The first stage of this process is for community members to submit your vision for a moonshot via the form below before Monday, 10th July. If you have any questions regarding the process, please refer to our Further Information page and our Moonshot framework. If we have not addressed your specific question, you can ask us via email at Moonshots@ukri.org.    

#Moonshot   

The term ‘moonshot’ stems from the 1960s and the US’s bold and ambitious programme to send a human to the Moon and to return them home safely within a decade.

The seven principles of a moonshot as defined by Pioneer Information are: 

• excite and inspire the public, academia, and industry
• help solve an important societal issue 
• be truly disruptive and ground-breaking 
• focus on areas where the underpinning science is at a stage to make a major breakthrough feasible
• be specific and well-defined in what it sets out to achieve, with a clear timeframe for completion
• take advantage of areas where the UK is, or is poised to be, a world leader
• generate significant additional benefits.

#Process and Next steps

Phase one: Ideas generation

• 19 June to 10 July – UK’s New Moonshots Engagement opens to submit your ideas (link below)
• From 11 July, UKRI will conduct an internal grouping and reviewing of the ideas submitted (link here to the Moonshot Framework Doc) and then invite a selection of representatives whose ideas are the most inspiring, bold and ambitious, and in-line with the seven principles (set out above) to take part in phase two. 

Phase two: Present and connect

• These in person and virtual events will take place in the week commencing 31 July. They will be by invitation and instructions for participation will be issued from 18 July. These events will include opportunities to hear more about the ambitions and intent for a moonshots programme, meet and hear about the other moonshot ideas submitted, and discuss the ideas with a diverse panel. The panel will be composed of research and innovation subject matter experts. Attendees should allow a full working day if attending in person and anticipate preparing a short outline for discussion and iteration with others at the meeting.  
• Our panels will collate a list of moonshots for further development. 

Phase 3: Shortlist, community building, ideas development

Throughout August, shortlisted moonshots along with their presenters will be invited to work with UKRI and DSIT. This includes convening consortia, if not already established, to ensure representation across research, large and small business and industry communities, to work up the Moonshot idea into a more fully developed proposition. 

These more developed Moonshot proposals will be put forward to the Ministers for a decision on which should be delivered should funding be made available. 

Please use this site to submit your idea.

How to submit your idea:

Step 1: Click on 'Submit Idea Here' below

Step 2: Create a new account* by clicking on 'Need to create an account?'

Step 3: You can now start your application by clicking on the 'Submit Idea Here' button

*this will enable you to save your application before you submit, revisit to modify your application before the deadline, and check the status of your application

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You can find out more about how we comply with data protection legislation in our data protection policy. When you take part in this engagement, UKRI will process the following personal data:  

• name  
• contact details  
• EDI information  

The personal data you share will be used in line with UKRI’s EDI strategy to include and support a diversity of people and ideas. 

This Privacy notice – UKRI outlines how we use personal data, including data we collect from or about you. You may opt out of this process at any time.   

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