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
...
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.
University physics heads warn Vallance of STFC cuts impact.
Cuts “inconsistent” with government plan for growth, says open letter urging science minister to act.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
"Planned cuts to physics and astronomy funding threaten to undermine a core UK government strategy to harness innovation to boost economic growth, leading researchers have warned ministers."
Thanks @financialtimes.com for covering this really important story
🗞️: www.ft.com/content/a235...
An open letter has been sent to Lord Vallance from 57 heads of UK physics departments and institutes, including all of the heads of physics departments of the Russell group.
www.iop.org/about/news/o...
How does this policy change impact differently across the sector? Are early career researchers more or less likely to be impacted? Has an equality impact assessment been done?
And how is UKRI structured to ensure that the disciplinary expertise and experience is maintained?
Long read: Researchers’ concerns are mounting as news drips out of the research councils about cuts and freezes ahead of a major funding restructuring. But does the buckets approach even hold water? @jgro-the.bsky.social reports #research #AcademicSky
https://ow.ly/x7yE50YlT4I
Well, it's been a busy day prepping for my upcoming appearance in Westminster👇. The chocolate is all gone. This thread contains evidenced statistics to support the continued (not cut) funding for UK particle, astro and nuclear physics (PPAN). Thanks to everyone who contributed today! 🧵
Planetarium Bochum sunset view, deep orange fading to dark blue. Saturn, Merkur and Venus are marked - tiny speaks in the twilight sky.
How are the #planetaryparade fans doing tonight? Clear skies here so I took up the challenge!
😎Jupiter (easy - right of the moon)
👍Venus (bright on the W horizon)
👌Saturn (trickier - need to know where to look)
🤷♀️Mercury (in hiding)
🙅♀️Neptune and Uranus (needs 🔭)
📷 @planetariumbochum.bsky.social
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...
These cuts to physics research will be a disaster for UK scientists – and for our standing in the world | Jon Butterworth www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Today the astro-community discussed the devastating proposed 30% cuts to our research funding, cuts that will be offsetting (some of the) rising costs at UK facilities that we don't use. Hard not to feel victimised when those same facilities make a fanfare announcement about an expensive facelift. 🔭
