UKCGE Position Statement on Sir Ian Chapman’s speech at the Innovation for Growth Summit

UKCGE notes that doctoral education sits at the intersection of research and skills and is therefore a powerful mechanism through which UKRI can support the government’s focus on growth. Doctoral programmes also develop multiple roles – such as researchers, innovators, educators, public servants, and civic leaders – who will sustain the UK’s knowledge economy for decades to come. Ensuring the health and diversity of this pipeline is therefore essential to national ambitions.

In responding to the new strategic direction, UKCGE recognises both the opportunities it presents and the risks that must be managed if the UK is to maintain breadth, excellence, and inclusion within its research base. A clear national research narrative, supported by long-term commitments to priority areas, has the potential to strengthen the doctoral pipeline by offering greater stability to institutions and a clearer sense of direction to prospective researchers. Increased investment in innovation and scale-up activities may open new pathways for postgraduate researchers after graduation. These developments could deepen collaboration between universities and industry, support the growth of regional innovation clusters, contribute to the UK’s competitiveness and leadership within the global economy and enhance researcher employability and economic impact.  They provide opportunities for doctoral skills development to align more directly with emerging needs in the economy.

At the same time, a more ​‘choiceful’ approach to investment may inadvertently narrow the range of disciplines, research topics and programmes that receive support. Fields without immediate commercial application contribute profoundly to the UK’s cultural, social, and civic life. A funding model that privileges areas with short-term economic return risks weakening the intellectual breadth and interdisciplinarity that underpin high-quality doctoral education. It may also undermine recent progress in widening access, which has sought to ensure that doctoral communities better reflect society. Our members emphasise the importance of recognising the value of doctoral research beyond standard commercial metrics through its extensive contribution to a healthy, democratic, and inclusive society.

There are additional risks associated with greater institutional specialisation. Council member institutions make vital contributions to regional talent pipelines, and doctoral training is central to this work. If universities scale back activity solely to areas of existing world-leading strength, regional research ecosystems may be diminished. Rapid changes in institutional priorities or funding structures could also destabilise supervisory teams and the viability of projects already underway. Opportunities for new self-funded postgraduate researchers may become more limited, particularly for individuals unable to relocate due to personal circumstances.

UKCGE will continue to champion doctoral education in all forms as a national asset and advocate for a balance that protects disciplinary diversity, supports inclusive research cultures, and sustains strong regional ecosystems. The vitality of doctoral education in the UK will be essential to realising the ambitions of UKRI and the government’s wider growth agenda.

Dr Rebekah Smith McGloin, Chair, UK Council for Graduate Education.