Published: 18 July 2024

When people donate to charities, they expect their money to be spent directly on research that is focused on a specific condition or patient benefit. In recognition of this, the Charity Research Support Fund (CRSF) underpins some of the indirect costs of charity-funded research in universities. But the CRSF has stagnated.

It has never reached the amount that was initially committed when it was established by the last Labour government almost two decades ago, and it has not kept pace with increases in charity funding. The declining CRSF threatens the sustainability of charity-university research and the Government must commit to ensure that the fund meets 80% of full economic cost recovery.

This briefing on the CRSF explains why it is so important to bolster charity-university research partnerships. Read it below (please ensure you've accepted cookies - you can manage options at the bottom right of this page). Use the buttons at the bottom of the report to navigate. You can also download a PDF version. 

Data sources:

• TRAC data for universities. Percentage increase in research deficit from 2018-19 to 2022-23.
• Charities Aid Foundation UK Giving research report 2023
• Science & innovation investment framework 2004-2014
• Charity transparency data research report 2022