Reporting and policies
Pursuing potentially transformative technologies requires a highly responsible approach. At the heart of this responsibility is a commitment to transparency and accountability.
Learn more about our policies and reporting standards below.
Transparency Data
- See the dataARIA was created to be bold and agile, focusing on long-term transformation rather than quick wins. In our first year, we have built a strong foundation supporting that mandate: building a dedicated team, robust operations and infrastructure, and developing a new approach to funding R&D aimed at catalysing breakthroughs. Over the course of our first year, we developed seven opportunity spaces – areas we believe are ripe for discovering new technologies that seem intractable today but could prove critical for the UK long-term. These spaces span climate science, neurotechnology, AI and more. From these opportunities spaces, we launched our first two funded programmes – Scaling Compute and Safeguarded AI – and first set of opportunity seed awards in Nature Computes Better. Throughout this period we have prioritised engagement with experts across the R&D ecosystem. Through workshops, public calls for feedback, and open solicitations, we’ve invited input to help us consider different directions and surface new ideas – on the shape of our research programmes, as well as ARIA’s approach and operations.
- See the data
Over the last quarter, we published our final set of programme theses, outlining our ambitions to advance the frontiers of neurotechnology, robotics, and climate monitoring. As we drive towards turning those ambitions into reality, we selected the first round of R&D Creators (recipients of ARIA funding) in our opportunity space Nature Computes Better and launched seed funding in Scoping Our Planet.
To help convert the research we fund into tangible impact, we launched a call for Activation Partners to help us catalyse entrepreneurial talent and venture creation across our opportunity spaces. The shape of these partnerships will be driven by the creativity, imagination, instincts and experience of our selected partners, but could include ideas like providing entrepreneurial training to our Programme Directors, attracting capital and new talent from the ecosystem into our opportunity spaces, or hosting a set of regular convenings focused on science translation.
As we continue to build the infrastructure to support our Programme Directors and the researchers we’re funding, we’ve now hired a set of technical specialists to work closely with our PDs, providing technical advice, evaluating research, and driving the execution of projects on a day-to-day basis.
Our procurement pipeline for the next three months reflects our immediate priorities: awarding funding to more Creators across the R&D ecosystem, launching more multi-year programmes and opportunity seed awards, and working with entrepreneurial partners who can help us deliver on our mission.
We will continue to report on our expenditure on cost on a quarterly basis, including information on funded projects. To find out more about our activities to date, read our Corporate Plan here.
- See the data
This quarter marked significant milestones in ARIA’s journey towards unlocking groundbreaking research and delivering transformative breakthroughs for society.
With Exploring Climate Cooling now live, we’ve launched solicitations for programmes from our entire first cohort of Programme Directors, in AI safety, synthetic biology, climate monitoring, robotics, neurotech, and more. ARIA-funded research is underway in universities, startups and private organisations throughout the UK and abroad. In Q2, we awarded opportunity seed funding to R&D Creators in Nature Computes Better and issued our first awards for our Safeguarded AI and Scaling Compute programmes.
To maximise the impact of the research areas we’re exploring, we also announced R&D partnerships with nine deeply technical and highly entrepreneurial organisations – from world-leading research labs to pioneering science accelerators. Our Activation Partners will play a crucial role in translating our research into tangible impact for the UK, bridging the gap between scientific discovery and real-world applications.
Our procurement pipeline reflects our immediate priorities and ongoing commitment to fostering innovation. We’ll develop our research portfolio by awarding more seed and programme funding across the R&D ecosystem and plan to launch bespoke activities designed to inject our opportunity spaces with capital, ideas and talent alongside our Activation Partners. With our projects and programmes progressing, we’re now selecting the next group of visionary leaders for our second cohort of Programme Directors, set to begin in early 2025.
As we move forward, we will continue to report on our expenditure and costs on a quarterly basis, including information on funded projects. To find out more about our activities to date and our vision for the future, please read our Corporate Report here [PDF].
- See the data
This quarter, ARIA has made significant strides in advancing our mission to deliver transformative R&D. Key milestones include the allocation of funding to Creators, holding a recruitment process for our second cohort of Programme Directors (PDs), and the hiring of critical leadership roles.
We’ve now awarded £110 million worth of funding to 82 “big-if-true” projects that have the potential to redefine what’s possible across our Scaling Compute and Safeguarded AI programmes and our Scoping our Planet, Nature Computes Better and Smarter Robot Bodies opportunity spaces.
As we scale, we’re hiring key talent, including a new Chief Technology Officer and a team of Frontier Specialists. These experts will work alongside our Programme Directors to ideate, refine, and explore new programme directions.
We’ve also been moving forward with the selection of our second cohort of Programme Directors, who will play a pivotal role in launching new opportunity spaces and uncovering innovative pathways within existing ones.
Our immediate priorities for the next quarter focus on three key areas: expanding funding to more Creators throughout the R&D ecosystem, announcing our second cohort of Programme Directors, and deepening collaboration with entrepreneurial partners to accelerate our mission delivery.
We will continue to report on our spending and project funding each quarter. To find out more about our activities to date, read our Corporate Plan here.
Policies
- Read the policy
ARIA’s mission is to pursue new technological options that are currently intractable but have transformative potential for humanity. Research at the edge of the possible often means there is limited research or societal consensus, and requires a highly responsible approach.
Find out more about our approach to ethics and social responsibility in the design and delivery of programmes, and how we handle the professional ethics and integrity of the research we support.
- Read the policy
This policy sets out the principles and rules for declaring and managing conflicts of interest at ARIA. ARIA’s objective is to ensure that the influence of third parties does not compromise our decision making or independent judgement. Find out more about this policy, which is applicable to anybody working with ARIA.
- Read the policy
This policy sets out ARIA’s requirements in respect to research and innovation involving animals. This policy is based on the UKRI Policy on Research and Innovation Involving Animals. ARIA has adopted this policy to help contribute to consistent standards across the research community in the UK, making minor changes to account for differences in operating model.
Find out more about our approach to funding in this area by downloading the policy below.
- Read the policy
This policy sets out ARIA’s requirements in respect to clinical trials.
Find out more about our approach to funding in this area by downloading the policy below.
Reports
- Read the report
This is ARIA’s first Annual Report and Accounts and covers the period from its establishment on 25 January 2023 to 31 March 2024.
- Read the Corporate Plan
ARIA’s first Corporate Plan outlines our progress to date, our approach to pursuing breakthroughs and our vision for long-term impact.
Register of Interests
This register of Board, Committee Member + Programme Directors interests includes public appointments, directorships, business interests and affiliations.
Personal shareholdings, interests of minimal value, recently expired interests, and the interests of connected individuals, have been disclosed but not published. We’ll refresh and publicly update this register every quarter.
Contact us
ARIA is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act 2000. ARIA is an arm’s length body of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
If you want to request information about ARIA’s environmental impact under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, please write to info@aria.org.uk.
ARIA is committed to providing a responsive, fair complaints process. We follow the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman principles of good complaint handling. If you have a complaint about ARIA, in the first instance please try to resolve your complaint with the relevant person at ARIA. If that is not possible, please write to complaints@aria.org.uk. Complaints should be made as soon as possible after the relevant incident and no later than 12 months after the incident or from when you became aware of it, whichever is later. To help us to investigate and respond to your complaint please provide:
- Full details and background to the complaint (please exclude any personal sensitive information in your initial correspondence)
- What we could do to resolve your complaint
- Your contact details including email and telephone number
- Whether this is a follow-up to a previous complaint and if so, details of that complaint.
We will respond to your complaint within 10 working days in line with our complaints procedure. If you are not satisfied with our response to your complaint, you can escalate your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman at: www.ombudsman.org.uk or call 0345 015 4033.
If your complaint relates how we have handled your personal data, please email our Data Protection Officer at dpo@aria.org.uk. If you’re still not happy, you have the right to make a complaint to the ICO at casework@ico.org.uk.
ARIA is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and transparency in all its operations. ARIA’s whistleblowing policy ensures confidentiality and protection for individuals who report concerns in good faith, in compliance with the Government Functional Standard GovS 013. Your vigilance helps safeguard public funds and maintain trust in our mission. Please email whistleblowing@aria.org.uk.