Monday 18 May marked a milestone as the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) launched the Global Research and Technology Development (GRTD) portfolio and new approach paper at the British Academy in London.

At the event, Minister for Development Jenny Chapman set out the UK government’s modern approach to development:

“The pressures on the humanitarian and development systems are growing. And the challenges that we’re trying to address are becoming more and more complex and interlinked. We’ve got to move beyond a model that’s seen primarily as funding programmes, to one that’s about building genuine lasting partnership.”

The Minister reflected on the new GRTD portfolio as “world-leading in its reach and impact”. She explained that through new, targeted investments we will address some of the world’s most pressing challenges, whether that’s climate change, food security, health, education or sustainable growth.

The Minister was followed by FCDO’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Sir John Edmunds, who explained why science and research matter so much for tackling the challenges that we face globally. 

Simon McNorton, FCDO Deputy Director for Research, provided the detail behind the new portfolio and what that means for our partners:

“[The new GRTD portfolio, and our approach paper], enables us to be clear about how the FCDO will use research and innovation as part of the UK’s modern development offer. It brings together what has historically been a set of programmes and partnerships into one coherent offer. This builds on decades of UK-funded development research, so it is not about starting from scratch. But it is about being clearer and more deliberate about how we take this work forward.”

There are three connected elements to this launch.

First: the GRTD Approach Paper. This paper sets out our direction: our priorities, the types of challenges we will focus on, how we work, and the principles and policies that underpin the portfolio. It is intended to give clarity and confidence to partners, policymakers and funders about what we are doing, where we are going and what we are funding.

Second: the GRTD website. The new public front door to the portfolio. For the first time, you can see our work brought together in one place — funding opportunities, research outputs, evidence, learning and examples of impact. The website is designed to make it easier to understand what we fund, why it matters and how to engage with funding opportunities, all in one place.

Third: a single GRTD identity and brand. This is important. It brings coherence and visibility to our portfolio, making it easier to recognise this work as part of a single, strategic offer rather than a collection of disconnected initiatives.

The final speaker at the event was Professor Appolinaire Djikeng, Director General of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). He spoke about his sector, confirming that global challenges such as food security and climate change require collective, science-led action that moves beyond research into real-world impact at scale. He confirmed that this must be grounded in strong international partnerships, locally owned solutions and strategic investment to deliver lasting, equitable change.

Guests then were invited to explore a research arcade, where more than 20 GRTD partners had set up stands to showcase their work. We captured insights and conversations with many of them in a series of video clips, which we’ll share in future updates on this site, and on our new social media accounts, which are now live.

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