Supply chain

£13m safeguarding boost for UK supply chains

The UK is set to receive a significant boost to its supply chains with a £13m funding allocation from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). This funding aims to enhance resilience in critical sectors, with £5m directed to Queen’s University Belfast to establish a new initiative focused on reimagining supply chains in food, fashion, and critical minerals. An additional £7.25m will support five research projects aimed at strengthening the UK’s food system.

Reimagining Supply Chains

The Re-imagining Supply Chains Network Plus (RiSC+) will unite experts from academia, industry, and government to assess potential supply chain disruptions and develop effective responses. By modelling possible disruptions and testing various responses, RiSC+ seeks to build resilience across various sectors.

A key feature of RiSC+ will be the development of advanced digital tools like digital twins—virtual representations of real-world systems—along with foresight studies to anticipate future risks. The initiative will address common supply chain challenges, including:

  • Just-in-time production
  • Labour and logistics bottlenecks
  • Complex risk factors

3 Key Areas of Focus

RiSC+ will operate across three key activity streams:

  1. Network Plus Activities: These include sandpits, knowledge exchange sessions, scoping exercises, and foresight workshops aimed at gathering insights.
  2. Supply Chain Modelling: Focused on food, critical minerals, fashion, and general supply chain modelling.
  3. Flexible Fund: Supporting research activities, innovation programs, and travel grants.

Targeting Critical UK Supply Chains

The initiative will focus on three vital supply chains:

  • Food: Addressing risks such as extreme weather events and rising energy costs, which threaten food availability and security.
  • Critical Minerals: With competition for resources and shortages in key materials like construction supplies and semiconductors, there’s an urgent need to enhance supply chain security.
  • Fashion: Challenges like the reduced availability of synthetic materials and dyes, coupled with rapidly changing consumer demand, place pressure on the fashion industry.

Through detailed analysis, RiSC+ aims to develop strategies that minimise disruptions, evaluate economic trade-offs, and build solutions that strengthen resilience.

supply chain

Enhancing the UK’s Food System

Five additional research projects will focus on securing the UK’s food system against risks like geopolitical instability and climate change:

  1. University of Surrey (led by Dr Zoe M Harris): Investigating vertical farming to boost leafy greens supply.
  2. University of Southampton (TRI SOME CHICKEN project, led by Prof. Emma Roe): Studying the impact of industrialised food production on communities and the environment.
  3. Anglia Ruskin University (led by Prof. Aled Jones): Identifying vulnerabilities in the food system and proposing strategies to mitigate crises.
  4. University of Reading (led by Prof. Tom Oliver): Analysing risks in fruit and vegetable production and supply.
  5. University of Cambridge (RASCAL project, led by Dr Jagjit Singh Srai): Examining the balance between domestic food production and imports, particularly in light of economic, political, or climate disruptions.

These efforts will help ensure the UK’s food system is more resilient, capable of withstanding future challenges and securing essential resources for the long term.

Securing a Sustainable and Healthy Food Supply

Minister for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, Daniel Zeichner, emphasised the importance of this initiative, stating: “In partnership with UKRI, I am pleased to announce that over £7m has been awarded for interdisciplinary research aimed at improving the resilience of the UK food system to cascading risks. These projects will model potential risks and develop interventions to ensure a healthy, sustainable, and secure food supply.”

In conclusion, these initiatives will contribute to a more secure and resilient UK supply chain, ensuring better preparedness for unforeseen challenges and disruptions.


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