Of course in this instance one might assume some genius has just decided the UK needs its own entirely sovereign nuclear weapons, something that needs significant computing clout to develop. Raiding University research pots for defence wasn't a manifesto pledge....
If researchers need to spend significant amounts of their time working out what arbitrarily defined buzzword of the week their proposals need to fit into every four years that is time when they are not doing research.
Beyond field specific concerns, UKRI seems to have become a tool by which the government of the day can decide the overall research direction. Haldane principles aside, this is not a good thing for research programs where the work, and/or impacts, take longer than election cycles.
Not the first time I've heard of things like this, not just for tight deadlines. A tub of quality street from the pi helps but isn't enough. It'd be great if there was 'professional services co-I' credit along with researcher co-I credit but that also isn't much unless unis use it in promotions.
Two excellent hearings last week ⬇️; the articulate cases made by all physicists and the focussed questioning of both committees, bravo to all. There is a lot to work through here. How we got to here, what motivated decisions, what really is going on, what is the future.
Cern project cut ‘weakens’ UK global standing, says STFC leader
Scintillating performance from both physicists and MPs earlier today at the SITC hearing. Glad I was there in person.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
Some thoughts after two parliamentary committee hearings
lifeandphysics.com/2026/03/08/s...
#LifeAndPhysics
'lack of consultation with community' is ukri's new mission statement it seems.
If the bucket terminology wasn't dead it is now... @ukri.org
Ah, good to see the transcript up!
I know it's a stressful environment to be in, and slips are easy to make on the spot, but the executive chair saying that Boulby mine is 'up in Daresbury' makes me wonder if she meant Daresbury lab or Boulby underground lab. More public detail is needed on the specific sources of cost overruns.
It was really great to be joined by a huge group of fellows and early career researchers from all over the UK packing out the lords and commons select committee meetings. It was a full room on both days and the committees understood the strength of feeling in the community.
STFC's budget problems go much wider than the LHCb project at Cern, but it's significant that Michele Dougherty said withdrawing funds would weaken UK's international standing
Why? Because DSIT has said it's paying attention to that issue
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Jon is right we would try to get back in, but a delay to the upgrade risks missing the schedule - hl-lhc has strict time constraints and we need to be building this *now* to guarantee success.
Some thoughts on this : Michele again conflates the cern subscription with our ability to do science. By cutting lhcb's upgrade but paying the subscription, we are paying for something our researchers can't benefit from either in publications or technology transfer.
Fears over STFC cost-savings plan aired since September 2025.
Oversight body repeatedly raised concerns over “lack of transparency” with research community.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
Cern project cut ‘weakens’ UK global standing, says STFC leader
Michele Dougherty grilled by MPs on “catastrophic” impact of cuts on early career physicists
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
Today @astroroyalscot.bsky.social @jonbutterworth.bsky.social and I gave evidence to the Science & Technology Committee on the proposed #STFC cuts.
Chaired by @chionwurah.bsky.social the committee were clearly well briefed and asked strong questions of Prof Michele Dougherty. An excellent summary:
Rows of people wearing orange lanyards in a House of Commons committee hearing. At the front is Catherine sporting her "I'm about to perform an appendectomy" mask and looking particularly snazzy.
Here is my run-down of today's Science, Information & Technology Committee hearing (House of Commons) where @jonbutterworth.bsky.social @si-wills.bsky.social & I argued for no funding cuts, & Prof. Michele Doughtery explained why they were needed. The public gallery again packed with physicists 🔭👩🔬⚛️
ukri
Some very notable statements by Patrick Vallance about the STFC 'cost reductions' that are decimating the grants programme at STFC
Hope for UK physics and astronomy community?
He told the Lords science committee he was “determined that UKRI must find a way to look after PPAN”
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Patrick Vallance at the Science and Technology Committee yesterday used the terms "general research" and "specific research" for buckets 1 and 2/3.
I wonder if the term "general research" is much better for bucket 1 to make sense of why QR is there? Thoughts?
parliamentlive.tv/event/index/...
Vallance: UKRI ‘must find a way’ to protect physics grants programme
Curiosity-driven research “cannot suffer” from budget pressures, science minister tells Lords committee
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
Follow this morning's SITC session if you have *any* interest in @ukri.org and STFC funding, including @jonbutterworth.bsky.social and the Astronomers Royal:
committees.parliament.uk/committee/13...
People sat in rows a committee hearing - all smartly dressed
Here is my run-down of today's Science and Technology Committee hearing (House of Lords) where "considerable disquiet in the science community" was raised with Sir Patrick Vallance. Really great to see the public gallery packed with physicists!
Why move ppan to epsrc, facilities are a better fit :)
Good thread on the latest bucketology
This could be a good thing if managed well, but prior experience with ppan makes me nervous. 'fewer partitions but now councils wide'. Ties into sir Ians desire for flexibility.
I think even definitions aside lumping it all into a single bucket alongside subscriptions makes it easier to trade off rising costs in parts of the programme.
Things worthy of note : QR is lumped into bucket one despite not being applicant led, curiosity driven research. Infrastructure is laundered through bucket four. As no detail is on the right of the Sankey plot it tells us nothing new.
