Should UKRI halve the time it takes to process grant applications?

UK Research and Innovation has published a five-year strategy that includes halving applicant-led grant processing time from 195 to 90 days and targeted mode from 127 to 60 days. The funder plans to test distributed peer review at scale, improve IT and data systems, and explore AI-enabled approaches. UKRI says the changes will let researchers focus on pioneering work and deliver better outcomes.