The John Innes Centre has been awarded an equal share of the new £54 million Global Talent Fund, to attract and support leading researchers and their teams to relocate to the UK.

The new Global Talent Fund, an investment in Britain’s future prosperity and economic growth, is designed to attract leading researchers in eight high priority sectors critical to the modern Industrial Strategy, has been awarded to 12 UK institutions.

As world-leading plant and microbial scientific institute, the John Innes Centre leverages cutting-edge knowledge of the natural world to support healthy plants, healthy people and a healthy planet. This new fund will support the recruitment of more leading scientists, and strengthen its capability to deliver in high priority sectors.

Professor Cristóbal Uauy, Director designate, John Innes Centre said: “This funding is a major boost to our efforts at the John Innes Centre to attract ambitious world-leading researchers to join our Healthy Plants, Healthy People, Healthy Planet vision.

“By bringing outstanding talent to the Norwich Research Park, we are strengthening the UK’s global leadership in bio-based innovation, data-driven biology, and sustainable, high-value agri-tech, key pillars of the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.

“The John Innes Centre will target three high-priority Industrial Strategy sectors with this funding: Advanced Manufacturing, Life Sciences, and Digital and Technologies. These align with our strategic strengths, and will grow our ability to drive innovation, productivity, and sustainable economic growth in the UK.”

The John Innes Centre’s success is built on its international outlook, workforce and collaborations, supporting a diverse community of international researchers, with staff from more than 40 countries choosing to pursue their careers at the institute.

Professor Uauy continues: “As a Chilean researcher who relocated to the UK, I’ve experienced first-hand the friendly, open and collaborative academic environment here. The world-class facilities, technology platforms and institutional support provided are unrivalled.  It’s the kind of environment where scientists can take bold ideas forward, build meaningful collaborations, and create lasting global impact.”

Science Minister Lord Vallance said: “Genius is not bound by geography. But the UK is one of the few places blessed with the infrastructure, skills base, world-class institutions and international ties needed to incubate brilliant ideas, and turn them into new medicines that save lives, new products that make our lives easier, and even entirely new jobs and industries. Bringing these innovations to life, here in Britain, will be critical to delivering this Government’s Plan for Change.

“My message to the bold and the brave who are advancing new ideas, wherever they are, is: our doors are open to you. We want to work with you, support you, and give you a home where you can make your ideas a reality we all benefit from.”

There is a strong global demand for talent in engineering biology, plant- and microbial-derived therapeutics, and sustainable agriculture and this funding provides huge potential to generate new UK-based supply chains, intellectual property, and startup/spinout activity.

The recruitment process will include a global search for exceptional research leaders to enhance the UK’s position as a global leader in bio-based innovation, data-driven biology, and sustainable, high-value agri-tech.

The new teams will strengthen the UK’s research base, stimulate cross-sectoral innovation, and deliver long-term scientific, economic, and societal benefits. The Global Talent Fund enables the John Innes Centre to make these investments rapidly and strategically, helping to ensure that the UK remains globally competitive in key frontier industries.

Professor Christopher Smith, International Champion at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), said: “Global challenges from climate change to energy security, food systems to antimicrobial resistance do not respect borders, and neither should the research and innovation required to address them. Time and again, international collaboration has driven transformative breakthroughs: from the discovery of the Higgs boson at CERN, to the global effort to decode the complex wheat genome, enabling the development of high-yield, climate-resilient crops that support food security worldwide. The impact of global partnerships is clear.

“The Global Talent Fund is a vital part of UKRI’s mission to support an open, dynamic, and diverse research and innovation system. By supporting our brilliant research institutes to attract outstanding individuals from across the world and foster collaboration between nations, we are strengthening the UK’s position at the heart of the global knowledge economy. This fund aligns with our enduring commitment to international engagement, and to working together to shape a better future for all.”

Current opportunities at the John Innes Centre

• Group Leader in Discovery Plant Sciences
• Independent Fellowship in Plant-Associated Microbial Interactions
• View all vacancies

About the Global Talent Fund

• The Global Talent Fund, administered by UKRI, is part of over £115 million funding dedicated to attracting the very best scientific and research talent to the UK.

• The £54 million Global Talent Fund comes over 5 years, starting in 2025/2026. The fund, administered by UKRI and delivered by universities and research organisations, will cover 100% of eligible costs, including both relocation and research expenses, with no requirement for match funding from research organisations. The initiative also includes full visa costs for researchers and their dependants, removing significant financial and administrative barriers to relocation.

12 leading universities and research institutions have been selected to receive an equal share the Government’s £54 million Global Talent Fund to recruit world’s top researchers over the next 5 years, starting in 2025/2026. The institutions selected to deliver the Global Talent Fund are:

• University of Bath
• Queen’s University Belfast
• University of Birmingham
• University of Cambridge
• Cardiff University
• Imperial College London
• John Innes Centre
• MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
• University of Oxford
• University of Southampton
• University of Strathclyde
• University of Warwick

From AI to medicine, cutting-edge research is delivering the new breakthroughs and products that are key to economic growth, the core mission of the Plan for Change

In addition to this fund, two fellowships have been launched, aimed at bringing ground-breaking AI research teams to UK organisations and labs: the £25 million Turing AI ‘Global’ Fellowships, as well as a UK-based expansion of the Encode: AI for Science Fellowship.