Overview
Where UKRI stands on contributorship and open research
UKRI publishing-best-practice guidance encourages contributorship statements and references CRediT as a recognised taxonomy. The R4RI narrative CV format (mandatory for fellowships since January 2024) asks applicants to describe contributions in CRediT-aligned language. CRediT is not contractually required on funded publications.
CRediT status: Encouraged - Guidance or programme calls reference CRediT, but formal policy text is silent.
Open access
UKRI Open Access Policy (2022)
All UKRI-funded peer-reviewed research articles must be immediately open access at the time of publication under a CC BY licence. Long-form scholarly outputs (monographs, edited collections, book chapters) included from 1 January 2024.
Research data management
Data sharing requirements
UKRI Common Principles on Data Policy; council-specific implementation (e.g., MRC, NERC data policies).
Submission and reporting
How UKRI researchers apply and report
| Primary submission system | The Funding Service (replacing the legacy Joint Electronic Submission / Je-S system through 2026) |
| Biosketch / CV format | Resume for Research and Innovation (R4RI) - 4 modules: contributions to knowledge, to development of people, to wider research community, to broader society |
| Reporting cycle | Researchfish annual return + REF cycle outputs |
UKRI requires the four-module Resume for Research and Innovation (R4RI) narrative CV for all fellowship and personal-award applications since 1 January 2024. Project grants vary by council. ORCID iDs are increasingly required at proposal-submission time. Open-access deposit in Europe PMC, an institutional repository, or a publisher-hosted gold OA route is mandatory for funded peer-reviewed articles. Researchfish annual returns are required for award tracking, and outputs feed into the Research Excellence Framework (REF) on a roughly seven-year cycle - the next cycle is REF 2029.
Contributorship guidance
How UKRI handles contributor attribution
UKRI does not require CRediT statements contractually but explicitly names CRediT in publishing-best-practice guidance. The R4RI narrative CV asks applicants to describe their contributions in four modules - to knowledge, to development of others, to the wider research community, and to broader society - and CRediT-aligned language is welcomed.
For authors
Publishing from UKRI funding
When publishing from a UKRI-funded grant, deposit the accepted manuscript or version of record in Europe PMC or an institutional repository with a CC BY licence at the time of publication (no embargo permitted under the 2022 policy). Acknowledge the council and award reference in the funding-acknowledgement section. Include a CRediT statement at the publisher's request - most journals NIHR/UKRI authors publish in already require one. Update Researchfish with the publication citation within the next annual reporting window. For fellowships, prepare to describe your contributions in the four R4RI modules rather than a list-of-publications format.
For general CRediT submission guidance across publishers, see CRediT for authors.
Notable initiatives
UKRI programmes and infrastructure
- REF 2029
- R4RI narrative CV mandate
- UKRI Open Access Policy (2022)
- DORA signatory
- Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers
Notes
Caveats and context
UKRI policy is implemented through individual council compliance teams; researchers should check their council's specific guidance for nuance on output types (e.g., data, software, conference proceedings).
Frequently asked
Common questions about UKRI
- Does UKRI require CRediT?
- UKRI does not require CRediT at the policy-text level, but guidance and programme materials reference it. UKRI publishing-best-practice guidance encourages contributorship statements and references CRediT as a recognised taxonomy. The R4RI narrative CV format (mandatory for fellowships since January 2024) asks applicants to describe contributions in CRediT-aligned language. CRediT is not contractually required on funded publications.
- What is UKRI's open access policy?
- UKRI Open Access Policy (2022). All UKRI-funded peer-reviewed research articles must be immediately open access at the time of publication under a CC BY licence. Long-form scholarly outputs (monographs, edited collections, book chapters) included from 1 January 2024.
- How do I report contributorship to UKRI?
- UKRI does not require CRediT statements contractually but explicitly names CRediT in publishing-best-practice guidance. The R4RI narrative CV asks applicants to describe their contributions in four modules - to knowledge, to development of others, to the wider research community, and to broader society - and CRediT-aligned language is welcomed.
- Where do I submit a UKRI application?
- UKRI applications are submitted through The Funding Service (replacing the legacy Joint Electronic Submission / Je-S system through 2026). UKRI requires the four-module Resume for Research and Innovation (R4RI) narrative CV for all fellowship and personal-award applications since 1 January 2024. Project grants vary by council. ORCID iDs are increasingly required at proposal-submission time. Open-access deposit in Europe PMC, an institutional repository, or a publisher-hosted gold OA route is mandatory for funded peer-reviewed articles. Researchfish annual returns are required for award tracking, and outputs feed into the Research Excellence Framework (REF) on a roughly seven-year cycle - the next cycle is REF 2029.
- What is UKRI's data sharing requirement?
- UKRI Common Principles on Data Policy; council-specific implementation (e.g., MRC, NERC data policies). Researchers should follow the data-management plan submitted with the application and deposit data in a recognised repository where appropriate.
References
Sources
- UKRI Open Access Policy (2022)
- Resume for Research and Innovation (R4RI) guidance
- UKRI Common Principles on Data Policy
- REF 2029 - initial decisions
