Empowering scientists to reach for the edge of the possible
Scroll to get to know ARIAARIA is a UK R&D funding agency built to unlock scientific and technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone.
Society’s most important advances have stemmed from those willing to think differently about what might be possible.
The Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) empowers scientists and engineers, from our Programme Directors to the teams we fund, with the resources and freedom to pursue breakthroughs at the edge of the possible.
Many will fail to meet their target, but their efforts will inspire the next generation. Those that do succeed will generate massive social and economic returns.
The latest from ARIA
Sustained Viral Resilience
Meet the 11 teams we’re funding in this programme
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Robot Locomotion
Share your thoughts as we explore a potential programme on robot locomotion
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Resilient Climate and Ecosystems
We're funding 14 new opportunity seed projects in this space
Discover moreJoin our third cohort of Programme Directors
Applications for our third cohort of Programme Directors will be open 17 August - 28 September for a May 2027 start date. Learn more about what we're looking for and register your interest so you can be the first to hear updates on the application process.
Opportunity spaces
Defined by our Programme Directors, ARIA opportunity spaces are highly consequential for society; under-explored relative to their potential impact; and ripe for new talent, perspectives, or resources to change what’s possible. Each opportunity space represents fertile ground we'll harvest for technical breakthroughs through programme and seed funding.
Within opportunity spaces, programmes are designed to advance complex, large-scale ideas that require coordinated investment and management across disciplines and institutions.
Discover our opportunity spaces below:
Nature-Inspired Computation
Programme: Scaling Compute
Programme: Olfactory Perception
Unsustainable energy requirements and limited datasets demand alternative scaling pathways for AI. Novel computing, learning and perception paradigms inspired by nature will enable radically greater efficiency and adaptability.
Featured insights
The hardware that science hasn’t built yet
How Amodo Design helps turn technical bottlenecks into possibilities
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The next companies coming out of UK science
Chosen from over 1,400 applicants, meet Encode Fellowship Cohort 2
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Giving robot hands a sense of slip
Touchlab’s Dr Zaki Hussein and Shadow Robot’s Rich Walker discuss TACTO
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