UK DRI LTD
UK DRI's hub will be located at UCL, which was chosen after a thorough search process. Six additional UK DRI centres will be established at University of Cambridge, Cardiff University, University of Edinburgh, King's College London and Imperial College London (x2). Grants will be made to all seven centres.
Financial health, per its FY2026 accounts
The accounts state that the charity reported a net deficit of £3.55m for the year ended 31 March 2026, resulting in unrestricted reserves falling to £5.62m. The trustees confirm that the charity is a going concern, supported by confirmed funding from its founding partners until 2030 and significant liquid resources exceeding current research commitments. The charity operates on a model where research commitments are only made when funds are available, and it holds no borrowings.
What the accounts disclose
“By the nature of this funding model, there is no need for significant reserves. Therefore, the original policy had been agreed that £0.3m of unrestricted founder funding would be used as reserves. This was subsequently increased to £0.6m over five years ago and this is now the policy.” — page 9
“MRC have an agreement with UK DRI Ltd and they intend to fund £125m over the five years starting 1 April 2022. Furthermore, this agreement provides for an MRC representative having a seat on the UK DRI Ltd Board.” — page 11
“ARUK have an agreement with UK DRI Ltd and they intend to fund £12.5m over the five years starting 1 April 2022. This agreement also provides for an ARUK representative having a seat on the UK DRI Ltd Board.” — page 11
“MRC have an agreement with UK DRI Ltd and they intend to fund £125m over the five years starting 1 April 2022. Furthermore, this agreement provides for an MRC representative having a seat on the UK DRI Ltd Board.” — page 11
“ARUK have an agreement with UK DRI Ltd and they intend to fund £12.5m over the five years starting 1 April 2022. This agreement also provides for an ARUK representative having a seat on the UK DRI Ltd Board.” — page 11
“MRC have an agreement with UK DRI Ltd and they intend to fund £125m over the five years starting 1 April 2022. Furthermore, this agreement provides for an MRC representative having a seat on the UK DRI Ltd Board.” — page 11
“ARUK have an agreement with UK DRI Ltd and they intend to fund £12.5m over the five years starting 1 April 2022. This agreement also provides for an ARUK representative having a seat on the UK DRI Ltd Board.” — page 11
“MRC have an agreement with UK DRI Ltd and they intend to fund £125m over the five years starting 1 April 2022. Furthermore, this agreement provides for an MRC representative having a seat on the UK DRI Ltd Board.” — page 11
“ARUK have an agreement with UK DRI Ltd and they intend to fund £12.5m over the five years starting 1 April 2022. This agreement also provides for an ARUK representative having a seat on the UK DRI Ltd Board.” — page 11
Corporate structure
- Registered company of the charity Companies House 11045257
Leadership, per the charity’s website
- Prof Siddharthan Chandran — Director
- Prof Bart De Strooper — Founding Director
Company officers (Companies House)
- RICKETTS, Piers Harford on trustee list
- POLISANO, Robyn Eva on trustee list
- RICHARDSON, Nathan on trustee list
- SHAFIE, Roudabeh on trustee list
- KHAN, Rabia Tahir, Dr on trustee list
- KOHLHAAS, Susan Louise on trustee list
- TURNBULL, Douglas Matthew, Professor Sir not on trustee list
- RADFORD, Sheena Elizabeth, Professor on trustee list
- PISANI, Jo Patra on trustee list
- LEE, Melanie Georgina, Dr on trustee list
- RUCKER, William John on trustee list
- CARMACK, Martin
- CHAMBERS, Elizabeth Edwina
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2026)
Trustees
- WILLIAM JOHN RUCKERchair
- Dr MELANIE GEORGINA LEE
- Dr Rabia Tahir Khan
- IAIN ALASDAIR KEITH MOODIE
- Jo Patra Pisani
- Nathan Richardson
- Piers Ricketts
- Professor Sheena Elizabeth Radford
- Robyn Polisano
- Roudabeh Shafie
- Sir Doug Turnbull
- Susan Kohlhaas
Income and spending
| Financial year end | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
| 31/03/2026 | £52.4m | £56.0m |
| 31/03/2025 | £47.6m | £40.1m |
| 31/03/2024 | £39.6m | £43.3m |
| 31/03/2023 | £32.7m | £31.7m |
| 31/03/2022 | £34.6m | £40.4m |
Common questions
Is UK DRI LTD financially healthy?
Per its FY2026 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net deficit of £3.55m for the year ended 31 March 2026, resulting in unrestricted reserves falling to £5.62m. The trustees confirm that the charity is a going concern, supported by confirmed funding from its founding partners until 2030 and significant liquid resources exceeding current research commitments. The charity operates on a model where research commitments are only made when funds are available, and it holds no borrowings. Its FY2026 accounts were audited by RSM UK Audit LLP.
Funders of similar charities
| Funder | Similar charities funded | Amount to them |
|---|---|---|
| THE JANE HODGE FOUNDATION | 1 | £5.1m |
| THE LEVERHULME TRUST | 1 | £4.3m |
| CANCER RESEARCH WALES | 1 | £2.3m |
| THE BRITISH ACADEMY FOR THE PROMOTION OF HISTORICAL PHILOSOPHICAL AND PHILOLOGICAL STUDIES | 1 | £1.5m |
| Y COLEG CYMRAEG CENEDLAETHOL | 1 | £1.2m |
| Blood Cancer UK Research | 1 | £1.2m |
| JUVENILE DIABETES RESEARCH FOUNDATION LIMITED | 1 | £1.2m |
| THE NUFFIELD FOUNDATION | 1 | £1.2m |
Charities like this
- UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON HOSPITALS CHARITY
- CCCU UK
- DUKE UK TRUST LIMITED
- PREGNANCY CENTRES NETWORK
- National Centre For Universities and Business
- CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
Side by side with its peers
| Charity | Income | Top pay band | Staff >£60k | Reserves vs policy | Fundraising cost | Going concern |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK DRI LTD | £52.4m | — | — | above | — | no doubt |
| UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON HOSPITALS CHARITY | £24.7m | — | — | unclear | — | no doubt |
| CCCU UK | £1.7m | £120,001 - £130,000 | 1 | within | — | no doubt |
| DUKE UK TRUST LIMITED | £298k | — | 0 | unclear | — | no doubt |
| PREGNANCY CENTRES NETWORK | £101k | — | 0 | unclear | — | no doubt |
| National Centre For Universities and Business | £2.9m | — | — | unclear | — | no doubt |