What lies beneath

The hidden, life-sustaining force in UK research funding

The funding landscape is a bit like a woodland glade at the height of summer, with trees, plants and flowers growing without any apparent pattern. But should you start to dig into the earth you will uncover a secret: plants that appear unrelated can stem from the same root system.

The National Productivity Investment Fund is one such root system, and one of the most important. Most people who wander through the woodland glade cannot see it or access it directly, but might pick the flowers that sprout from it as they wander through.