Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what (a) grants and 9b) funding her Department has allocated to the Medical Research Council for research into anti-seizure medications in pregnancy since 2018.

Since 2018, the Medical Research Council (MRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), has committed £2.7 million to a research project developing a new anti-seizure drug to the point of regulatory submission for first-in-human trials. The treatment is intended to improve upon the effectiveness of the main existing anti-seizure treatment, valproate, to avoid valproate’s harmful effects on unborn children.

DSIT is investing a record £58.5 billion on R&D between 2026/27 and 2029/30. UKRI will deliver an expected £38.6 billion of R&D investment from 2026/27 to 2029/30, rising to nearly £10 billion per annum by the end of the period.  A more detailed breakdown of UKRI’s budgets will be published later this year.