Advanced Research and Invention Agency

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The Advanced Research and Invention Agency, or ARIA, is a planned research funding agency of the UK government, announced on 19 February 2021 and expected to be fully operational by 2022.[1][2][3]

On 20 July 2022, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy announced that ARIA's first CEO would be Ilan Gur and its first Chair would be Matt Clifford.[4]

With a similar remit to that of its US equivalent, DARPA, the agency will fund "high-risk, high-reward" research.[5][6] Organisationally, it will be small, independent of UKRI (the main UK government funding body), with autonomy to operate at speed innovate funding, (for instance with X-Prize type inducements around research goals), rapid "seed" funding, with successful seeds entering a much smaller tier of large-grants, and bonuses for accomplishing research goals.[7]

The announcement was broadly welcomed by senior figures in the UK's scientific establishment, although some have called for a clearer remit and direction for the agency.[1][8]

The Advanced Research and Invention Agency Act 2022 created the legislative framework for the agency.

The agency's initial budget will be £800 million over four years.[5]

ARIA is widely considered to be the brainchild of political strategist and former Vote Leave director Dominic Cummings.

Controversies

Labour MP Dawn Butler has said the fact Aria is exempt from Freedom of Information requests would "raise alarm bells" about how taxpayer money is spent, in light of a scandal over how the UK government procured PPE contracts during the Covid-19 pandemic.[9]


See also

External links

References

  1. ^ a b "UK to launch £800m science research agency". Financial Times. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  2. ^ "UK to launch new research agency to support high risk, high reward science". GOV.UK. UK Government. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  3. ^ Swinford, Steven. "Secrecy for high-risk tech research agency Aria". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
  4. ^ "Innovation heavyweights appointed to lead new Advanced Research and Invention Agency". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  5. ^ a b "UK to launch 'high risk' science agency". BBC News. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  6. ^ "'Licence to fail': £800m for new scientific agency that will focus on high-risk, high-reward projects". Sky News. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA): policy statement". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  8. ^ "Expert reaction to announcement of UK government plans for the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA)". Science Media Centre. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Health department was 'smoking ruin' on Covid - Cummings". BBC News. 17 March 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
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