UKRI unsure how many grant extensions have been approved

Opaqueness over extensions comes amid new row over provision of £180 million for Covid-hit researchers

The UK’s national research funder says it has received 7,340 requests for grant extensions from researchers whose work has been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, but it cannot say how many of those have been approved.

This issue of extensions for coronavirus-hit projects has been a contentious subject, with many UK researchers, especially PhD and early career staff, saying they have not been given enough support.