UKRI is committed to rigorous evaluation of all our key programmes, including the ISCF. UKRI would like to commission an independent evaluation of our investment in ISCF to date (Wave 1-3).

The aim of the evaluation is to build an evidence with which to judge the success and overall impact of the industrial strategy challenge fund in order to:

(i) inform ongoing and future improvements to the ISCF to maximise the value of public funding;

(ii) to demonstrate the return on investment to taxpayers;

(iii) build the evidence on the impact of mission-oriented and challenge-focused R&I support as part of UKRI’s wider efforts to understand ‘what works’ in R&I policy and delivery.