Mark Walport to step down

Mark Walport, who has announced his retirement as chief executive of UK Research and Innovation, has been praised for piloting British research through difficult waters.

Walport (pictured) was appointed in 2017 to form and lead the umbrella agency for the UK’s research councils and the Innovate UK funder. He said on 12 September that he will step down in 2020.

He is the third senior member of UKRI to step down since its launch in April 2018, following the departure of chief finance officer, Ian Kenyon, and the organisation’s director of strategy, Rebecca Endean, earlier this year.