Research and analysis

Regulators' Pioneer Fund round 3: evaluation report and case studies

Findings from an independent evaluation of Round 3 of the Regulators’ Pioneer Fund (RPF).

• From: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and Regulatory Innovation Office
• Published: 20 May 2026

Documents

Regulators' Pioneer Fund round 3 final evaluation report: executive summary

Ref: DSIT 2026/007

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Regulators' Pioneer Fund round 3: final report

Ref: DSIT 2026/007

PDF, 1.36 MB, 93 pages

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Regulators' Pioneer Fund round 3: short-term case studies

Ref: DSIT 2026/007

PDF, 9.3 MB, 46 pages

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Regulators' Pioneer Fund round 3: long-term case studies

Ref: DSIT 2026/007

PDF, 13.6 MB, 74 pages

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Regulators' Pioneer Fund round 3: final technical report

Ref: DSIT 2026/007

PDF, 1020 KB, 153 pages

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Details

Round 3 of the Regulators’ Pioneer Fund (RPF), run by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), invested up to £12 million during 2022 to 2025 to support 24 projects led by regulators and local authorities aimed at stimulating innovation in their sectors.

DSIT commissioned the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to undertake an independent evaluation of Round 3 of the RPF to:

• assess the impact of the fund
• understand the process of delivering the fund and projects
• evaluate the lessons learned from the projects for government and wider stakeholders

The publication includes:

• final evaluation report summarising the key findings and lessons learned across all 24 projects
• detailed case studies of individual projects
• technical report outlining details of the research methodology

Background information

The Regulators’ Pioneer Fund (RPF) was originally set up by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) in 2018 to sponsor projects led by regulators or local authorities which aim to help create a UK regulatory environment that encourages business innovation and investment.

• The first round invested up to £10 million in 14 regulator-led projects (2018-20)
• The second round invested up to £3.7 million in 21 regulator and local authority led projects (2021) 
• The third round invested up to £12 million in 24 regulator and local authority led projects (2022)

Published 20 May 2026