UK Invention Agency ARIA Pledges £50M of Public Money to US Tech Companies and VC Firms

The UK's Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), founded by Dominic Cummings, has pledged £50 million ($70 million) of UK taxpayer money to US tech companies and venture capital firms — more than one-eighth of ARIA's £400 million in R&D spending over two years. £23 million went to 9 US tech firms and £29.4 million to 3 US VC groups including Pillar VC. Recipients include MorphoAI (£6M), Fifty Years (£7M to run entrepreneurship courses for UK scientists), and CIC Venture Cafe (£5.4M for UK networking events). Shadow science minister Chi Onwurah criticized the overseas spending, noting the West Midlands receives only 0.8% of ARIA funding. ARIA responded that over 80% of funding goes to UK-based teams.