A growing number of voices are calling for UK physics cuts (the result of a long prioritization exercise by the STFC) to be reversed 🧪⚛️ Funding for @jodrellbank.bsky.social's Lovell telescope & @lhcb.bsky.social's upgrade are among those being chopped My latest here: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Scientists up in arms about cuts to UK physics and astronomy

Funding is being terminated for projects including a future CERN experiment and the iconic Lovell Telescope.

nature.com

Today, in 1991, the World Wide Web Made its Public Debut British scientist Tim Berners-Lee published the world's first website at CERN, making the World Wide Web publicly available on the internet and launching a new era of global information sharing.

What are the UK government's plans for science, innovation and tech policy? @chionwurah.bsky.social's select committee seeks explanation - Jodrell Bank closure is just one example "of where accountability is needed". LHCb Upgrade and the other cuts too! committees.parliament.uk/committee/13...

What are government’s plans for science, innovation and tech policy? Committee seeks explanation - Committees - UK Parliament

After the Government announced plans to break up the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and distribute its responsibilities amongst other departments, MPs have written to three S...

committees.parliament.uk

Good letter from @lhcb.bsky.social deputy spokesperson Paula Collins in the Guardian (scroll down): "The UK’s leadership in LHCb was built through decades of sustained investment. The UK should now reap the returns." www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

Science funding cuts will harm Britain’s global standing | Letters

Letters: Readers respond to an editorial about the threat to research funding, including plans to close the Jodrell Bank Observatory

theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The Guardian view on the Lovell telescope: budget cuts to physics are bad science and worse politics | Editorial

Editorial: Funders have picked a damaging fight with scientists and the public. They should reconsider their plans

theguardian.com

Important article in The Times on the future of Jodrell Bank Observatory and other major physics facilities. IOP President Professor Paul Howarth is quoted, condemning the "ruinous set of decisions" affecting physics that "would damage Britain’s global reputation": www.thetimes.com/uk/science/a...

We've just opened our sector survey to gather targeted feedback on policy areas for final development. The survey will remain open until 4pm on 4 September 2026. Join us tomorrow at 11am for a webinar on the survey topics and a Q&A with the REF team. 2029.ref.ac.uk/news/ref-202...

A coalition of scientists and scientific community leaders including Prof Brian Cox and IOP President Prof Paul Howarth has voiced serious concern about the impact the latest funding cuts will have on UK science in this Research Professional article: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

Jodrell Bank funding cut does ‘real damage’ to UK science - Research Professional News

Experts alarmed as science secretary says UK must invest in “next generation of scientific facilities”

researchprofessionalnews.com

Thanks @lucienheurtier.bsky.social! Cutting @lhcb.bsky.social Upgrade II in the UK cuts our future science, skills and capabilities - not just for our experiment, but for our subject and beyond it.

Lucien Heurtier@lucienheurtier.bsky.social · last wk.

📢UKRI’s decision not to fund LHCb Upgrade II is not just a project cut. It puts UK leadership, access to the future LHCb dataset and opportunities for hundreds of scientists, engineers, technicians and students at risk. 🧪 ↩️This decision should be reversed. #UKRI #STFC @andyburnham.bsky.social

"the best scientists will go wherever the best science can be done. And on this the signs are ominous. A recent survey found that nearly 80% of early-career physicists were considering leaving the UK after the funding crisis." @iansample.bsky.social for the Guardian:

World-class Jodrell Bank is under threat and UK risks a physics brain drain

Funding crisis could lead to an exodus that would be a blow for British science and national growth

theguardian.com

Responding to today’s announcement, IOP President Prof Paul Howarth said the latest funding decisions will damage the UK’s scientific capability, threaten world-leading research, put jobs at risk and create uncertainty across the research sector. Read our full response: www.iop.org/about/news/r...

Just off #BBCR4 World at One, arguing the importance of discovery science (like Jodrell) for long-term economic growth. I said I was heartbroken at the news: evidence just look at how exceptionally excited me & @mamaphysikerin.bsky.social were when we got to stand inside Lovell back in 2017 🥰 🔭🧪

Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 2w ago

I'm absolutely devastated for colleagues at Jodrell Bank who found out this morning that funding for the UK's e-MERLIN radio telescope array will be terminated. This is a short-sighted move, to save a tiny fraction of the overall UK science budget. #SaveJodrellBank 🔭🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The full list of cuts is here (scroll to end). As @chionwurah.bsky.social said, these cuts shouldn't be happening. Add in cuts to the facilities and this is utterly grim for research. www.ukri.org/publications...

Explainer: STFC prioritisation outcomes 2026 to 2030

ukri.org

STFC’s true cost overrun revealed as nearly £700m www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

STFC’s true cost overrun revealed as nearly £700m - Research Professional News

Exclusive: Figure calls into question transparency from UKRI leadership amid cuts to science facilities

researchprofessionalnews.com

Important context and analysis regarding recent UKRI announcements of cuts to UK science capacity. lheurtier.github.io/STFCprio.html

The STFC Prioritisation Outcome: What the Numbers Really Mean

UKRI's 2.7% PPAN headline compares 2029/30 with 2025/26 in cash terms. A longer-run inflation-adjusted comparison points to a roughly 16% contraction since 2021/22.

lheurtier.github.io

"Plus de 220 postes de chercheurs ont déjà été perdus dans les programmes PPAN, ce qui pèse sur les jeunes chercheurs et ingénieurs. De quoi diminuer la présence britannique dans les expériences internationales, entamer notre réputation et perdre notre capacité à faire de la recherche de pointe."

Des fleurons de la physique britannique menacés par des coupes budgétaires drastiques

La principale agence de financement du Royaume-Uni a publié une feuille de route qui inquiète la communauté des physiciens sur l’attractivité de sa discipline.

lemonde.fr

Thoughtful letter from the multidisciplinary community on STFC cuts: 'The measures announced do not appear to have been informed by consultation with the user communities of the MDFs and reveal a lack of understanding of the available potential of alternative funding streams.'

'There has been a 12 percentage point leap in the number of UK universities reporting cutbacks to research, according to a survey carried out this year by Universities UK.' Being a global research power when you're reducing research by 12% in a year may prove a wee bit of a challenge.

Proportion of universities cutting research increases - Research Professional News

Universities UK survey shows worsening picture but more optimism about future backing for research

researchprofessionalnews.com

Comment from SITC chair @chionwurah.bsky.social about the STFC funding cuts: "At a time of rising science spend and given the commitments made the committee regarding investment in curiosity driven research, these cuts shouldn’t be happening." committees.parliament.uk/committee/13...

UKRI Chair and STFC Chair write to Committee outlining science research funding cuts - Committees - UK Parliament

Correspondence: research funding cuts  

committees.parliament.uk

"STFC may be different to other research councils but it brings into sharp relief the benefits of planned change, and the importance of long-term strategy to deal with short-term volatility". Ow. And this without considering international, skills and science dimensions. wonkhe.com/wonk-corner/...

What’s going on at STFC?

The “prioritisation outcomes” have arrived

wonkhe.com

Latest: STFC cuts ‘will damage physics, the economy and society’. UKRI cost-savings plan also brings relief that severe cuts feared by astronomers “have not materialised”. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

STFC cuts ‘will damage physics, the economy and society’ - Research Professional News

UKRI cost-savings plan also brings relief that severe cuts feared by astronomers “have not materialised”

researchprofessionalnews.com

IOP President Professor Paul Howarth has warned that the latest UKRI funding package risks causing long-term damage to UK science, with deep cuts to key facilities and projects threatening the foundations of physics. Read our full response: www.iop.org/about/news/r...

Some of the UK funding for major international and domestic science in line for cuts, under STFC cost-savings plan being announced by UKRI today. As previously revealed by @resprofnews.bsky.social, @francesjones.bsky.social @robinbisson.bsky.social www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

We will launch a short sector survey on 30 July 2026 to gather targeted feedback on a small number of policy areas for final development. Read more: 2029.ref.ac.uk/news/ref-202...

On display this morning, parliamentary scrutiny at its very best with @chionwurah.bsky.social and her committee questioning Secretary of State Liz Kendall about the STFC funding cuts. Worth watching in full, but here are some of the highlights! 1: Doctoring the minutes!

The SITC report on science diplomacy is now out: committees.parliament.uk/publications... and the need to incorporate science diplomacy considerations in decision-making about international science projects is already reported in RPN: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

I can't emphasise enough what a disaster STFC cuts to PPAN science and facilities are, for a saving that is in the noise of DSIT budgets. Cut CERN/PPAN activities and you cut skills, capabilities and growth for our future. Cut facilities and you cut underpinning support for UK science. It is no win.

Research Professional News@resprofnews.bsky.social · last mo.

UK research at Cern to shrink as government approves STFC cuts. 🚨Exclusive: Science department approves UKRI’s cost-saving proposal, with major UK facilities also facing cutbacks. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

This is really rough news for everyone who works at RP. I'm so sorry to read this and hope impacted colleagues have good support networks to lean on. It will create a huge hole in a sector for which the timing couldn't be worse. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-o...

Research Professional News to discontinue publication at end of 2026 - Research Professional News

A message for readers about the publication’s closure and continued community access to past reporting

researchprofessionalnews.com

IOP members, today is the last day to get your votes in for the 2026 Council elections. Your vote can make a difference in the #physics community. Voting closes at 17:00 BST: iop.org/councilelections

Today is management changeover day at the almost 2000-strong @lhcb.bsky.social collaboration. The baton has passed from Vincenzo (Italy) to Tim (UK) - a great recognition of UK strength on this amazing experiment. #UKRI #STFC #PPAN lhcb-outreach.web.cern.ch/2026/06/30/t...