About ARIA

From climate change to AI, society faces challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science + technology.

Who we are

Created by an Act of Parliament, and sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, ARIA funds breakthrough R&D in underexplored areas to catalyse new paths to prosperity for the UK and the world. 

What we do

We empower scientists and engineers to pursue research that is too speculative, too hard, or too interdisciplinary to pursue elsewhere. ARIA’s programmes are shaped and led by our Programme Directors, scientific and technical leaders with deep expertise and a focused, creative vision for how technology can enable a better future.

How we do it

Our independence allows us to pursue bold, long-term outcomes but that is only made possible through robust accountability. As a public body, we are accountable to Parliament and our Board of Directors plays a critical role in scrutinising our strategy. We also engage broadly and seek open feedback to shape our research, baking in ethics and governance considerations from the start to ensure we pursue breakthroughs responsibly.

Read more in our Corporate Plan

What success looks like

Our success is shaped by one question: when the children of the UK grow up, how will their lives have been transformed by ARIA’s work? Whether through life-changing technology or a burgeoning new industry, it should be obvious that ARIA played a catalytic role.

Image of Illan Gur CEO

"History is made up of periods of steady progress, but there are moments when we make a sudden leap forward. Whether it’s transistors, personal computers, vaccines, or even wind power, that shift is typically instigated by a small group of people who are willing to think differently about what might be possible. That’s what we’re betting on at ARIA."

Ilan GurCEO

Related pages

Our team

From our Programme Directors to our functional teams, meet the people driving towards ARIA's success.

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A graphic of the ARIA logo with Activation Partner logos next to it.

Meet our Activation Partners

We're infusing communities across our opportunity spaces with the entrepreneurial drive to convert our work into widespread impact.

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How we fund

We're committed to making the funding cycle smoother and faster at every step of the way.

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