Ocean science and animal health are just two areas of UK science set to benefit from a substantial injection of money, according to the research councils' three-year spending plans released this week.
The delivery plans spell out how the eight research councils, along with the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the British Academy and the overarching Research Councils UK body, will spend cash from the 2004 spending review in the three years up to 2008.
Infrastructure projects in UKuniversities will benefit from the Office of Science and Technology's allocation, via the Science Research Infrastructure Fund, of £500 million for 2006-07 and a further £500 million for 2007-08.
Among the projects is a £40 million Natural Environment Research Council award to build a research ship, the RSS James Cook , to replace the ageing RSS Charles Darwin .
Operating worldwide from the tropics to the edge of the polar ice sheets, the James Cook will be able to work in much rougher seas than its predecessor and will help retain the UK's position as a leader in ocean science.
The British Antarctic Survey will also construct the Halley VI Antarctic Research Base at a total cost of £35 million.
The single biggest project detailed is the rebuilding of the Institute of Animal Health Pirbright Laboratory in Surrey.
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council has allocated Pounds 121 million to the project. The endeavour aims to bring together UK experts in exotic viral diseases of livestock and create an international centre of excellence for veterinary virology.
Peter Cotgreave of the Campaign for Science and Engineering welcomed the investment. But he said he was slightly concerned that government was increasing its influence over the way that funds were distributed.
Dr Cotgreave said: "That may begin to erode the research councils' ability for blue-skies research."
Ian Diamond, spokesman for the RCUK, said there was a healthy balance between bottom-up responsivity in research and top-down strategic thinking.
"Our core business is... to support the adventurous blue-skies research," Professor Diamond said. "Publicly funded research has underpinned many of the great discoveries of the 20th century."
There was less good news in the delivery plan of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council, with details of significant restructuring of its commitments to international projects.
These include plans to run down telescope sites on Hawaii and La Palma in the Canary Islands. PPARC is also considering staff reductions at the Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh.
It will bring two new telescopes online by the end of 2007 and it is examining proposals for a 1km2-sized telescope for direct imaging of Earth-like planets.