Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Accepted
Provide Committee an update on UKRI's IT system modernisation progress and capability roadmap.
Conclusion
UKRI does not yet have the IT systems of a modern organisation. UKRI can classify its grants by theme, based on the award title and description and can produce one-off analyses of parts of its portfolio. For example, in 2024 it produced a review of its portfolio of spending on net zero and climate change. Since its establishment, UKRI has, however, grappled with unifying the separate data systems of its predecessor organisations. Despite developing modern IT systems being a priority for UKRI since 2019, the introduction of updated systems has been delayed. Around 15% of UKRI’s grants do not have a full description on its system, and in other cases the descriptions are poor quality and consequently spending on these grants cannot be accurately classified automatically. UKRI has the ambition to produce reliable analysis more quickly and use predictive insights to support better decision making and tracking of progress against its key objectives. It expects to have 90% of its data on its updated systems by January 2026. With all parts of Government, and industry, subject to large-scale assaults on their cyber security defences, it is also crucial that UKRI’s updated systems are resilient to cyber threats. recommendation UKRI should provide the Committee with an update in February 2026 on progress with implementing its systems and functionality and a roadmap of further modernisation. This update should include details of the capability the new systems provide and what capability is yet to be delivered.
Government Response Summary
The government agreed and committed to providing the Committee with an update in February 2026 on the implementation progress of its wider organisational change programme, including systems and functionality, and plans for further modernisation.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. to enhance grant administration, data quality, information security and to implement other essential improvements. UKRI has been investing in improved data capabilities over the last five years and has undergone two internal audit reports noting the progress made. UKRI has developed a data warehouse, Databank, to provide a central repository for UKRI data that can be consolidated from multiple sources. As part of its organisational change approach, UKRI is producing prioritised roadmaps for investment in data and other essential improvements. UKRI has re-contracted with its supplier for collecting research outcome data for the research councils, following market engagement and competitive open tender. The revised contract requires changes that we expect will drive improvements to the completeness, accuracy and detail of metadata captured via this process, while minimising administrative burden. Outputs are analysed annually and UKRI will demonstrate these improvements by September 2026. UKRI’s in-house systems for processing grant funding applications allow scope to invest to take account of changing user needs over time. UKRI will maintain a careful balance between: a) harmonisation and simplification with a focus on the efficiency of operations both within UKRI and the organisations we fund, and b) the need for flexibility and innovation to maximise the effectiveness of the platform in supporting the best R&I outcomes. UKRI will provide an update to the Committee in February 2026 on implementation progress of the wider organisational change programme and plans for further modernisation.