Sir Leszek Borysiewicz GBE, the 345th vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge, has been named as the government’s preferred candidate for chair of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

UKRI is the UK government’s funding body for research and innovation, consisting of seven research councils and spending £9 billion annually.

The role, appointed by the science secretary, Liz Kendall, involves overseeing UKRI’s investment in research and innovation, with the aims of driving economic growth and making the UK internationally competitive.

The CEO of UKRI, Sir Ian Chapman, said of Borysiewicz’s appointment as chair: “Borys’s depth of knowledge, experience and leadership will be of huge value to UKRI as we seek to deliver for the UK’s public on our mission to advance knowledge, change lives and drive growth.”

Borysiewicz served as vice-chancellor of the University between 2010 and 2017. He was also a fellow at Wolfson College, as part of his career in academic medicine.

Borysiewicz’s research has primarily focused on immunology and cancer. He worked on the first European trials for an HPV vaccine for cervical cancer and served as the chair of Cancer Research UK.

Borysiewicz also established the Borysiewicz Biomedical Sciences Fellowship Programme, offering fellowships to 10 postdoctoral researchers in biomedical sciences each year.

Responding to the news, Borysiewicz said: “I am delighted to be the preferred candidate […] I look forward to engaging with the myriad of research communities in all sectors.”

UKRI has been involved in several ventures at the University, notably through funding postgraduate opportunities and research.

UKRI funded four Cambridge research projects last year as part of a nationwide investment project. Last autumn, three Cambridge researchers were also given UKRI Future Leader Fellowships, which will support their work for up to seven years.

UKRI has recently faced criticism for its plans to cut physics research funding. The plans include a real-terms reduction in funding for “curiosity driven” research, and an increased focus on “commercialisation”. Critics of these funding cuts include an assistant professor at Cambridge, Sarah Williams, and the MP for Cambridge, Daniel Zeichner.

Borysiewicz is expected to begin his role as chair this summer, taking over from current chair Sir Andrew Mackenzie, who said: “Borys is an outstanding choice. He is a hugely experienced and admired leader in the R&I community.”