Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and (b) Global Challenges Research Fund projects that will be terminated as a result of budget reductions from UK Research and Innovation.

Following a thorough review, the FCDO's aid budget has been allocated in accordance with UK strategic priorities against a challenging financial climate caused by COVID-19. The portfolio agreed by the Foreign Secretary will focus our investment and expertise on issues where the UK can make the most difference and achieve maximum strategic coherence, impact, and value for money. While we recognise some programmes will close, this will be done in a measured and responsible way, working closely with our delivery partners. FCDO is now working through what this means for individual research programmes, in line with the priorities we have identified.

As a result of the reduction in BEIS' ODA budget, all BEIS delivery partners have been asked to review planned ODA spend for 2021/22. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) have consulted grant-holders across more than 800 live projects across Global Challenges Research Fund grants and Hubs on how to handle the reduced allocations, and hope to communicate the results of this process by the end of May.