Wales goes in a different direction on research capital funding
Welsh higher education funder Medr has set out its Higher Education Research Capital funding allocations (HERC) for 2026–27 – and confirmed that the nation will not follow England in limiting capital allocations to the maintenance of research infrastructure only.
Earlier this year Research England wrote to English higher education institutions with the news that its Research Capital Investment Fund (RCIF) would from this year be provided to “focus only on sustaining current facilities,” and would be tapered down over the spending review period “to reflect this narrowing of purpose.”
This was to be be offset through UK-wide competed funding opportunities for research capital funding, via the research councils.
Medr’s update today confirms that the maintenance-only focus of RCIF will not be carried over to the Welsh system:
“In Wales, Welsh Government have confirmed that HERC will not be limited to maintenance only; HEIs in Wales retain the existing flexibility to make strategic decisions about how to invest HERC in their research infrastructure.”
However, the allocations to Wales from the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology (BIST) will still reduce over the period, in line with the “taper” in England.
Medr says that BIST has secured a “time-limited top-up” to Wales’ allocations in order to “provide Welsh Government, Medr and HEIs with time to adapt to these changes.” Nonetheless, the total 2026–27 allocation for eligible universities in Wales has decreased to £7.97m, down from £9.25m in 2025–26.
Half of the this headline figure is provided by BIST, and the other half is matched by the Welsh government. BIST’s allocation for HERC in Wales is expected to fall from £3.99m in 2026–27 to £2.44m by 2029–30.
There is a minimum £100,000 threshold to qualify for HERC, meaning that the funding is shared between six universities:
The methodology used by BIST and the Welsh government for allocations is different. The former uses three years of data on research council income, while the Welsh government’s share is allocated pro-rata based on both QR and other research income.
BIST’s memorandum of understanding with Medr and the Welsh government requires funding to “focus on maintaining excellent departments with critical mass to compete globally and the expertise to work closely with business, charities and public services.”