Sponsors of reproductive research in the UK include the government—the support of which is administered through the Medical Research Council (MRC), the Chief Scientist Office (Scotland) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council—as well as funds from many medical research charities including the Wellcome Trust, Wellbeing of Women (WoW) and Tommy's the Baby Charity. All of these organizations recognize that sexual and reproductive diseases are common and that new research is needed to develop new approaches to treating them.

In the 2007 UK Clinical Research Collaboration Association of Medical Research Charities report, an analysis of research funded by medical research charities during 2004–2005 (a combined amount of £63.7 million) showed that the proportion of funds spent in reproductive health was only 1.6% of the total. By comparison, data from the Scottish Executive Health Department indicates that the proportion spent by the Chief Scientist Office on Reproductive Health during the same period was 5–10% of the total.

The MRC is a major supporter of reproductive research—in 2007–2008 it committed ∼£9 million to studies in reproductive, fetal and pediatric health. This amount includes strategic investment in the form of core funding (£22.5 million for the 2006–2011 period) for the MRC Human Reproductive Sciences Unit located in the Centre for Reproductive Biology at the University of Edinburgh. This center, formed in 1972, also houses the University Division of Reproductive and Developmental Sciences, which receives MRC funding of ∼£1 million per year. Research within the Centre receives funds from charities as well, including Piggy Bank Kids (£1.6 million during 2004–2010).

Tommy's the Baby Charity funds work on pregnancy-related diseases. In 2007–2008, this charity gave £1.35 million for research and provided core support to the Maternal and Fetal Research Units at St. Thomas's Hospital in London and at St. Mary's Hospital at the University of Manchester. In 2008, a third center with funds from the same charity opened at the Centre for Reproductive Biology in Edinburgh to study the impact of maternal obesity during pregnancy.

The Wellcome Trust supports basic and clinical research in reproductive biology. Its 2006–2007 budget included two program grants awarded to Imperial College London and to the University of Birmingham for research on reproductive endocrinology and metabolism. Also, WoW's 2007–2008 budget of £2.02 million funded the areas of pregnancy and childbirth (72%), gynecology (15%) and quality of life (13%). Lastly, studies related to the impact of environmental factors on fetal development and lifelong health have been supported by funding from the EU to consortia with members in centers in Aberdeen, London and Edinburgh.

In conclusion, the UK research environment is becoming more challenging, as funding bodies place an increasing emphasis on translating laboratory work into patient benefit. Despite this fact, funding agencies remain committed to supporting reproductive research.