The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) undertook a prioritisation exercise to return its portfolio to a sustainable financial position while protecting key scientific capabilities, major facilities and international partnerships.

The exercise was informed by extensive engagement with the research community and expert advisory structures. Decisions were assessed against factors including scientific excellence, long-term impact, strategic importance, international leadership, value for money and the preservation of hard-to-recreate capabilities.

The Department has no plans to publish a separate impact assessment. The prioritisation exercise considered the potential implications of proposed changes across STFC's portfolio, with the objective of maintaining the capabilities and infrastructure most critical to the UK's research base and strategic priorities.

The Government remains committed to supporting growth and national security through research and innovation. UKRI will invest £9 billion across the Industrial Strategy Sectors over the SR period, including £555 million on national security and defence.

Within the funding allocations set by Government, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and its constituent councils are responsible for managing their budgets, balancing pressures across their portfolios and ensuring their activities remain financially sustainable.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council identified a range of pressures affecting the affordability of its portfolio, including inflation, staffing and energy costs, foreign exchange movements, international subscription commitments and the costs associated with an expanded portfolio of activity. UKRI and STFC undertook a prioritisation exercise to return STFC to a sustainable financial position while protecting key capabilities. While UKRI has considered the contribution of individual cost pressures to STFC’s affordability challenge, the projected funding gap reflects the cumulative impact of multiple factors and UKRI does not routinely report or publish a breakdown of the gap by individual cost driver.

The Government recognises the importance of maintaining UK scientific expertise and supporting future generations of researchers. As part of the Science and Technology Facilities Council prioritisation process, Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear Physics grant postdoctoral funding has been maintained at 2025/26 levels, alongside PhD studentships and fellowships, supporting the UK’s skills base and long-term scientific capability. UK Research and Innovation continues to engage with universities, laboratories and research partners as prioritisation decisions are implemented. The current LHCb experiment at CERN continues to receive UK funding, alongside grants for UK researchers.

Jodrell Bank Observatory is not closing and remains an important UK science asset. UK Research and Innovation funds specific programmes, including the e-MERLIN radio telescope network, rather than the Observatory site itself. Current e-MERLIN funding remains in place until 31 March 2028. The prioritisation exercise considered scientific excellence, long-term impact, strategic importance, value for money and preservation of capabilities. The Government recognises the importance of highly skilled technical and scientific expertise and STFC will be protecting PPAN (Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear Physics) grant postdoctoral funding maintained at 2025/26 levels, alongside PhD studentships and fellowships.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council's (STFC) prioritisation process was informed by extensive engagement with the research community, expert advisory bodies and specialist staff. This included more than 10 engagement events, written input from 48 project leads, and more than 30 Science Board, Council and expert advisory panel meetings. Science Board (Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear Physics) completed a comprehensive appraisal of options based on information provided by individual projects, while Science Board (Facilities and Laboratories) and the cross-UKRI Facilities Strategic Advisory Group were consulted on facilities options. No external independent academic peer reviews were commissioned specifically for this prioritisation exercise. Science Board advice is provided confidentially and is not routinely published.

Major international subscriptions, including participation in world-leading facilities and collaborations, are being fully protected through Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)’s prioritisation decisions. This safeguards UK access, influence and leadership in international scientific partnerships. Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), as part of UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), completed an evidence-based prioritisation exercise to ensure its portfolio remains financially sustainable and focused on the highest-priority scientific opportunities. Options were assessed against scientific excellence, long-term research impact, strategic importance to the UK and international leadership. Prioritisation decisions relating to individual projects do not impact the UK’s overall commitment to membership of international research infrastructure like CERN and SKAO.

Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), as part of UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), completed an evidence-based prioritisation exercise to ensure its portfolio remains financially sustainable and focused on the highest-priority scientific opportunities. As part of this process, STFC grant funding for Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear Physics postdoctoral researchers was maintained at 2025/26 levels, while PhD studentships and fellowships were also protected helping to sustain the UK's skills base, research expertise and long-term scientific capability.

STFC continues to invest in major research infrastructure that supports regional growth and high-skilled employment, including £327 million in the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) between 2021 and 2030. Headquartered in the North West, SKAO is expected to unlock around £225 million of foreign direct investment and £280 million of additional UK economic value.

The Government is committed to maintaining a world-leading astronomy and space science programme. The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), as part of UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), has recently completed an evidence-based prioritisation exercise to ensure its portfolio remains financially sustainable and focused on the highest-priority scientific opportunities.

The outcome is a focused portfolio built around the world's most ambitious astronomy facilities such as the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (which will be headquartered in the UK at Jodrell Bank) and the European Southern Observatory, ensuring UK scientists remain at the forefront of international collaboration and major discoveries in astronomy. The portfolio also protects key research capability, including PhD studentships and fellowships and protects funding for grant-funded postdoctoral researchers in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics at 2025/26 levels. STFC will also continue to operate world-leading facilities that support space science such as RAL Space, the UK’s National Space Laboratory.

Alongside this, the UK Space Agency, which has been allocated a £2.8 billion budget over the Spending Review period, will support the scientific missions, technologies and capabilities that enable UK researchers and industry to participate in cutting-edge international space science. Together, these investments will ensure that the UK remains a leading global centre for astronomy and space science research and discovery.

UK Research and Innovation and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) have completed an evidence-based prioritisation exercise and published the resulting decisions. The process considered a range of funding scenarios across STFC's portfolio and was informed by extensive engagement with the research community, expert advisory bodies and facilities leadership teams. The recommendations were subsequently reviewed by the UKRI Executive Committee and approved by the UKRI Board. The Science and Technology Facilities Council's core budget has been maintained over the Spending Review period with £835 million in 2025/26 and £842 million in 2029/30, supporting continued investment in the capabilities, infrastructure and talent that underpin the UK's research and innovation strengths.

The Department holds advice from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) relating to the prioritisation decisions agreed by the UKRI Executive Committee and Board. UKRI and STFC undertook a structured assessment of the impacts of different funding options across STFC's portfolio, considering factors including scientific excellence, long-term research impact, strategic importance to the UK, international leadership, value for money and the preservation of capabilities that would be difficult or impossible to recreate if lost. As part of this process, STFC grant funding for Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear Physics postdoctoral researchers was maintained at 2025/26 levels, protect funding for grant funded postdoc researchers at 25/26 levels, while PhD studentships and fellowships were also protected helping to sustain the UK's skills base, research expertise and long-term scientific capability.

I met with the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Executive Chair, Professor Michele Dougherty, in August to discuss the council’s strategic programmes and infrastructure investments. UK Research and Innovation undertook a comprehensive, evidence-based prioritisation exercise to address rising operational costs while maintaining a financially sustainable portfolio. The reprioritisation has come as a result of increased cost pressures from energy, inflation, foreign exchange, staffing costs and an expanded portfolio of activity. STFC has set out a plan to live within its budget while protecting the capabilities that matter most to the UK’s long-term scientific and international standing.

Ministers were consulted throughout UK Research and Innovation's consideration of the Science and Technology Facilities Council's prioritisation outcomes, including through advice submitted on 15 June 2026 on proposals to manage STFC's financial pressures, which included the proposal not to continue funding e-MERLIN beyond March 2028, and further advice provided on 26 June and 2 July 2026. As part of the wider prioritisation approach, STFC protected Particle Physics, Astronomy, and Nuclear Physics (PPAN) grants, postdoctoral funding, PhD studentships and fellowships to help maintain long-term research capability.

UK Research and Innovation assessed the implications of future investments in radio astronomy as part of an evidence-based prioritisation exercise, which led to the decision not to continue STFC funding for e-MERLIN beyond March 2028. Options were assessed against scientific excellence, long-term research impact, strategic importance to the UK and international leadership. To maintain the UK's long-term capability in radio astronomy, the Government continues to prioritise investment in the Square Kilometre Array Observatory, with £327 million committed between 2021 and 2030. Jodrell Bank will continue to host the international SKAO headquarters helping to sustain the UK’s internationally leading role in radio astronomy research and collaboration.

UK Research and Innovation and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) have already undertaken an evidence-based prioritisation exercise across STFC's portfolio, and the resulting decisions have been published. The process considered a range of funding scenarios and was informed by extensive engagement with the research community, expert advisory bodies and facilities’ leadership teams. The recommendations were subsequently reviewed by the UKRI Executive Committee and approved by the UKRI Board. These decisions were reached through UKRI's established prioritisation and governance processes, drawing on expert advice. The Government therefore has no plans to undertake a separate review. The Science and Technology Facilities Council's core budget has been maintained over the Spending Review period, from £835 million in 2025/26 to £842 million in 2029/30.

I met with the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Executive Chair, Professor Michele Dougherty, in August to discuss the council’s strategic programmes and infrastructure investments, and have engaged with the UKRI Chief Executive, Sir Ian Chapman, on several occasions. UK Research and Innovation and the STFC undertook a structured assessment of the impacts of different funding options across STFC's portfolio. Jodrell Bank will continue to host world-leading scientific research led by the University of Manchester, alongside serving as the headquarters for the Square Kilometre Array Observatory. Jodrell Bank also remains an important centre for science engagement and outreach, with no impact on the Jodrell Bank Centre for Engagement, which welcomes thousands of visitors, including school pupils, each year, helping to inspire the next generation.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has committed a record £58.5 billion investment in R&D over the next 4 years, including £38.6 billion for UKRI. STFC’s core budget is being maintained, at £835 million in 2025/26 and £842 million in 2029/30. Applicant-led research grants will increase from £83 million in 2026/27 to £90 million in 2029/30.

UKRI and STFC have undertaken a detailed prioritisation exercise to manage cost pressures from rising energy, inflation, foreign exchange and ambitious commitments from the previous Spending Review. On 9 July, STFC set out the outcomes of this exercise and its plan for living within its budget while seeking to protect the capabilities that matter most to the UK’s long-term scientific and international standing, and to the long-term health of UK physics. STFC will protect particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics (PPAN) grant postdoctoral funding at 2025/26 levels, protecting around 400 postdoctoral researchers, as well as PhD studentships and fellowships. All major multidisciplinary facilities will remain operational and international subscriptions will be fully protected, safeguarding UK access to world-leading facilities and collaborations. STFC will also generate more external income through supporting a more entrepreneurial model. While some activities will be reduced or reprioritised, this plan protects the fundamentals on which university physics departments depend: a strong research talent pipeline, access to world-leading facilities and research infrastructure, and participation in leading international scientific collaborations. More broadly, UKRI is investing heavily in areas that benefit the wider physics community, including around £1.6 billion in AI, £1 billion in quantum, and £750 million toward a new national supercomputer.

UKRI and STFC engaged extensively with the research community to shape this plan, including through more than 10 engagement events, written input from 48 Project Leads, and more than 30 Science Board, Council and expert advisory panel meetings and advice, including assessment of impacts across STFC’s portfolio, including PPAN, facilities and laboratories. This engagement included discussions with the Institute of Physics and Royal Astronomical Society, and Minister Vallance has corresponded with both organisations in his capacity as Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear.

More broadly, DSIT continues to work across government to understand developments across the higher education sector and their implications for research and development in universities. Through the reforms set out in the Post‑16 White Paper, we are strengthening universities’ long‑term financial sustainability, to ensure the UK’s R&D base continues to be world‑leading and capable of delivering excellence, innovation and economic growth.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has committed a record £58.5 billion investment in R&D over the next 4 years, including £38.6 billion for UKRI. STFC’s core budget is being maintained, at £835 million in 2025/26 and £842 million in 2029/30. Applicant-led research grants will increase from £83 million in 2026/27 to £90 million in 2029/30.

UKRI and STFC have undertaken a detailed prioritisation exercise to manage cost pressures from rising energy, inflation, foreign exchange and ambitious commitments from the previous Spending Review. On 9 July, STFC set out the outcomes of this exercise and its plan for living within its budget while seeking to protect the capabilities that matter most to the UK’s long-term scientific and international standing, and to the long-term health of UK physics. STFC will protect particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics (PPAN) grant postdoctoral funding at 2025/26 levels, protecting around 400 postdoctoral researchers, as well as PhD studentships and fellowships. All major multidisciplinary facilities will remain operational and international subscriptions will be fully protected, safeguarding UK access to world-leading facilities and collaborations. STFC will also generate more external income through supporting a more entrepreneurial model. While some activities will be reduced or reprioritised, this plan protects the fundamentals on which university physics departments depend: a strong research talent pipeline, access to world-leading facilities and research infrastructure, and participation in leading international scientific collaborations. More broadly, UKRI is investing heavily in areas that benefit the wider physics community, including around £1.6 billion in AI, £1 billion in quantum, and £750 million toward a new national supercomputer.

UKRI and STFC engaged extensively with the research community to shape this plan, including through more than 10 engagement events, written input from 48 Project Leads, and more than 30 Science Board, Council and expert advisory panel meetings and advice, including assessment of impacts across STFC’s portfolio, including PPAN, facilities and laboratories. This engagement included discussions with the Institute of Physics and Royal Astronomical Society, and Minister Vallance has corresponded with both organisations in his capacity as Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear.

More broadly, DSIT continues to work across government to understand developments across the higher education sector and their implications for research and development in universities. Through the reforms set out in the Post‑16 White Paper, we are strengthening universities’ long‑term financial sustainability, to ensure the UK’s R&D base continues to be world‑leading and capable of delivering excellence, innovation and economic growth.