UK Research and Innovation

Streamlining Governance

Centralised Reporting Transformation

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) oversees an annual budget of £8.8 billion for scientific and academic research across the UK. Although not custodians, they are responsible for managing this budget across multiple organisations and projects, ranging from space flight to genetic research. To ensure optimal investment returns for the country, UKRI needed to improve its oversight capabilities, streamlining its governance and reporting structures, enhancing transparency, and decision-making across its research programs.

Facing the complex challenge of unifying 11 semi-autonomous units, UKRI embarked on a mission to establish a consistent governance and reporting framework. This initiative aimed to provide clear visibility and accountability across all projects and programs. By leveraging service design techniques, UKRI successfully developed a multi-layered governance model, transitioned to a unified project management infrastructure, and identified suitable technology solutions. These efforts culminated in a streamlined process for overseeing financial status and funding decisions, ensuring that UKRI’s significant budget is allocated effectively.

This is How

Key Objectives

Establish uniform reporting governance.
Centralise project and program oversight.
Enhance data accuracy for decision-making.
Streamline funding decision processes.
Support consistent reporting across all units.

Actions Taken

Delivered multi-layered governance model.
Built centralised project management infrastructure.
Piloted and implemented tech solutions.
Transitioned PMO operations to UKRI’s internal team.
Facilitated successful change management deployment.

Key Outcomes

Conducted discovery phase to baseline governance.
Designed a unified governance structure.
Developed a tech selection process for reporting.
Established a PMO framework for internal use.
Negotiated vendor contracts and licensing.