UCL will host a major new lab to develop innovative, open-source AI systems, to help secure the UK's position as a global leader in artificial intelligence.
The newly announced Science of Fundamental AI Research (SOFAIR) Lab will be led by UCL, with partners Cambridge, Oxford, and Edinburgh universities.
It's part of a £60 million scheme funded by the UKRI-Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to create two UK labs dedicated to rethinking how AI works, learns and can be made more open, efficient and useful.
In recent years, AI has emerged as a powerful tool that can transform sectors across the economy and society, from healthcare and education to small businesses, public services, science and advanced industry.
The SOFAIR Lab will focus on developing next generation open-source AI technologies that are more widely accessible. It's aim will be to expand and diversify the underlying technology and systems that AI runs on, as modern AI relies heavily on a small number of popular architectures trained on vast data, requiring immense computing infrastructure.
Led by UCL's Professor David Barber SOFAIR will bring together researchers from across computer science, mathematics, statistics and neuroscience to explore new AI architectures and those designed to run on widely available hardware. This will mean cutting-edge AI will be more widely accessible for everyone, including researchers and institutions.
Professor Barber (UCL Computer Science) said: "We're very excited that UCL will be leading the new SOFAIR Lab. While current AI systems are impressive, many still suffer from basic issues such as inaccurate responses to questions. These systems often use similar underlying architectures, so SOFAIR will bring together the broader sciences and fresh ideas to create a new generation of open-source models. This will reduce dependency on the small number of model providers, boosting UK sovereignty and its position as a global player in AI."
UCL has positioned itself as a global leader in AI research and innovation. Multiple AI-based startups and businesses have been spun out from UCL research. In addition, UCL is at the forefront of building the UK's global leadership on the development of, safeguards around and the future of artificial intelligence. Its AI for People and Planet framework sets out its commitment to exploring the potential of AI as a force for good and to working with partners across the world to achieve this.
Professor Geraint Rees, Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation & Global Engagement), said: "Commercial AI labs are, understandably, focused on near-term applications. SOFAIR exists to do the work they can't: fundamental research into the structural limits of current AI systems, work that benefits UK citizens but doesn't yet have a commercial market. EPSRC's investment in this area reflects how seriously the UK is taking foundational AI research. UCL is proud to be part of that effort, and we intend to use SOFAIR to ask harder questions about AI than the market currently has any incentive to ask."
Kanishka Narayan, AI and Online Safety Minister, formally launched the SOFAIR at the Royal Academy of Engineering, Carlton Terrace, London on Tuesday 23rd June.
"We are only just beginning to unlock AI's huge potential to grow our economy and improve our public services. With our world-leading universities and deep pool of AI expertise, Britain can set the agenda for what comes next," he said.
"These new labs will lead the world in the fundamental work that is set to make AI cheaper, more practical and easier to adopt so more businesses and public services across the UK can benefit.
"And by building this capability here at home, backed by our world leading universities, we're strengthening our own expertise, reducing reliance on others and securing Britain's place at the forefront of this technology - fittingly announced on what would have been Alan Turing's 114th birthday."
SOFAIR's counterpart, the British Open-ended Learning and Discovery (BOLD) Lab will be led by the University of Oxford, with involvement from UCL and Imperial College London. It will fundamentally rethink how AI systems learn. Where today's AI can struggle with real-world complexity, BOLD will develop systems capable of working alongside humans, navigating physical environments and operating without vast centralised computing power.
The two labs will build and expand partnerships across academia, industry and the public sector, helping translate fundamental advances into real-world impact. In addition, they will actively support the commercialisation of the research with targeted support for entrepreneurship and spin outs.
Each lab will initially receive £8 million, with further funding available following an assessment in autumn 2026. It is the first major investment under UKRI's AI Strategy, which sets out an ambitious vision for fundamental AI research that works for the UK economy and society.
Professor Charlotte Deane, Senior Responsible Owner for the UKRI AI Programme and Executive Chair of EPSRC, said: "The UK is already one of the world's leading nations in AI research.
"We are one of the few countries in the world with all the right ingredients, from a deep pool of top AI experts to world-class universities.
"These labs will put that advantage to work, backing the bold, high-reward ideas that can shape the future of AI. We look forward to working with the labs to maximise the benefits for the UK."
