UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) supports particle physics, astronomy, and nuclear physics (PPAN) via the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) PPAN programme. STFC spending on the PPAN programme was £198 million in 2023/24 and £199 million in 2025/26. These figures reflect direct programme funding; further investment is delivered through international subscriptions and infrastructure, which are managed separately.

More broadly, 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, rising from £835 million in 2025/26 to £842 million in 2029/30. Applicant-led research grants will increase from £83 million in 2026/27 to £90 million in 2029/30.

STFC faces cost pressures from rising energy, inflation, foreign exchange, and ambitious commitments from the previous SR and must find savings relative to forecast operational costs. STFC has worked with the sector to model different spending scenarios for its PPAN portfolio. The impacts of different modelled scenarios across the broad and diverse range of STFC-funded facilities and programmes will be considered alongside feedback from the sector to inform final decisions.

DSIT has asked UKRI to ensure that its specific investment decisions are informed by meaningful consultation with the scientific research community and a robust assessment of potential consequences for the UK’s scientific capability, research institutions and international standing.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) supports particle physics, astronomy, and nuclear physics (PPAN) via the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) PPAN programme. STFC spending on the PPAN programme was £198 million in 2023/24 and £199 million in 2025/26. These figures reflect direct programme funding; further investment is delivered through international subscriptions and infrastructure, which are managed separately.

More broadly, 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, rising from £835 million in 2025/26 to £842 million in 2029/30. Applicant-led research grants will increase from £83 million in 2026/27 to £90 million in 2029/30.

STFC faces cost pressures from rising energy, inflation, foreign exchange, and ambitious commitments from the previous SR and must find savings relative to forecast operational costs. STFC has worked with the sector to model different spending scenarios for its PPAN portfolio. The impacts of different modelled scenarios across the broad and diverse range of STFC-funded facilities and programmes will be considered alongside feedback from the sector to inform final decisions.

DSIT has asked UKRI to ensure that its specific investment decisions are informed by meaningful consultation with the scientific research community and a robust assessment of potential consequences for the UK’s scientific capability, research institutions and international standing.

I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I am proud that this Labour Government have committed a record £86 billion towards R&D, including on astronomy, space science and others, to supercharge innovation. Within that, UK Research and Innovation’s Science and Technology Facilities Council—the main funder of particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics—has a stable budget with increasing investment in research areas that lead to and underpin discovery.

What steps her Department is taking to maintain levels of funding for astronomy and space science.

I pay tribute to the hon. Gentleman and everyone at the Harwell campus, which hosts over £1 billion of world-leading research infrastructure. A lot of concerns have been raised by the physics community about this issue. I can confirm that funding for STFC has not been cut. UKRI has decided that STFC’s core budget should be maintained over the spending review period. Of course, we understand the cost pressures through inflation, foreign exchange and the ambitious commitments that were made from the previous spending review. No final decisions are being made, but STFC is working through that with the community.

I thank the Minister for his answer. My Oxfordshire constituency is home to Harwell campus, the UK’s largest concentration of space and science organisations. Despite what the Minister said about the budget, the need for £162 million of savings by 2030 that was imposed on the Science and Technology Facilities Council risks jobs and critical research equipment, undermining our global science leadership. Does the Minister share those concerns, and what steps will he take to protect scientific jobs and facilities?

I do not agree with my hon. Friend about the policy. We are putting £86 billion into research and development, including astronomy and space science, including a record £38 billion for UK Research and Innovation. Of that, £14.5 billion is for curiosity-driven research because we know that there is no route to stronger growth in this country than through significant investment in science, innovation and tech.

Particle physics and astronomy have had a rough deal since the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council—PPARC—was abolished about 19 years ago. I understand that the justification being put out by the Science Minister and other Ministers is that there has been a change to mission-driven research as opposed to fundamental blue-skies research. This is a mistake: most practical applications of science have come from scientists asking fundamental questions that had no relevance at the time. Does the Minister agree that the policy is a mistake?

I am sorry to put the hon. Lady straight, but we are not cutting money for that. We are actually putting in the biggest funding for research and development ever in this country—something of which I am especially proud. We are protecting curiosity-led research and ensuring that we focus on the key priorities of this country, because we know there is no route to stronger growth or better answers and innovations without science and technology at its core.

Professor Brian Cox is among the eminent scientists warning about the impact of Government cuts to research on advanced physics and astronomy—a move that he calls “inexplicable”. Meanwhile, the Government are spending millions on projects examining climate coloniality, decolonising justice and transforming LGBTIQ+ asylum policies. Are those the Secretary of State’s research priorities too? If not, has she made that crystal clear to UK Research and Innovation?

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has committed a record £58.5 billion investment in R&D over the next 4 years. This includes £38.6 billion allocated to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) within UKRI is not seeing an overall cut to funding, its budget will be maintained from £835 million in 2025/26 to £842 million in 2029/30. In addition, applicant-led research grants in STFC will rise from £83 million in 26/27 to £90 million in 29/30.

Due to cost pressures from rising energy, inflation, foreign exchange, and ambitious commitments from the previous SR, STFC needs to find savings relative to forecast operational costs. STFC is currently working with the sector to model different spending scenarios for its portfolio in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics (PPAN). The impacts of different modelled scenarios across the broad and diverse range of STFC-funded facilities and programmes will be considered alongside feedback from the sector when taking final decisions.

The UK will also continue to invest in collaborative space science through the UK Space Agency, which has been allocated £2.8 billion over the next 4 years.

DSIT has asked UKRI to ensure that its specific investment decisions are informed by meaningful consultation with the scientific research community and a robust assessment of potential consequences for the UK’s scientific capability, research institutions and international standing.

The Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC) is in Durham University’s Department of Physics and is a leading centre in its field. The department has not made a specific assessment of funding for the Institute; however, it often receives funding from UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) through competitive funding processes. UKRI also supports key research infrastructure at the ICC, including COSMA 8, a supercomputer within the DiRAC High Performance Computing Facility. Over the last five full financial years, STFC has awarded around £26 million in grant funding to projects involving ICC-based staff.

The government also provides funding to providers, including Durham University, through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) on an annual basis to support teaching and students in higher education. This includes funding to support teaching of expensive-to-deliver subjects, such as science and engineering, and access and participation of students from under-represented groups. The total recurrent (programme) SPG funding allocation for the 2025/26 academic year is £1.31 billion.

I refer the honourable Member to the answer given on 21st April 2026 to question UIN 126553.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has committed a record £58.5 billion investment in R&D over the next 4 years. This includes £38.6 billion allocated to UKRI.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) within UKRI is maintaining its budget across this period and is currently working with the sector to model different spending scenarios for its portfolio in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics (PPAN). The impacts of different modelled scenarios across the broad and diverse range of STFC-funded facilities and programmes will be considered alongside feedback from the sector when taking final decisions.

The UK will also continue to invest in collaborative space science through the UK Space Agency, which has been allocated £2.8 billion over the next 4 years.

DSIT has asked UKRI to ensure that its specific investment decisions are informed by meaningful consultation with the scientific research community and a robust assessment of potential consequences for the UK’s scientific capability, research institutions and international standing.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has committed a record £58.5 billion investment in R&D over the next 4 years. This includes £38.6 billion allocated to UKRI.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) within UKRI is maintaining its budget across this period and is currently working with the sector to model different spending scenarios for its portfolio in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics (PPAN). The impacts of different modelled scenarios across the broad and diverse range of STFC-funded facilities and programmes will be considered alongside feedback from the sector when taking final decisions.

The UK will also continue to invest in collaborative space science through the UK Space Agency, which has been allocated £2.8 billion over the next 4 years.

DSIT has asked UKRI to ensure that its specific investment decisions are informed by meaningful consultation with the scientific research community and a robust assessment of potential consequences for the UK’s scientific capability, research institutions and international standing.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has committed a record £58.5 billion investment in R&D over the next 4 years. This includes £38.6 billion allocated to UKRI.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) within UKRI is maintaining its budget across this period and is currently working with the sector to model different spending scenarios for its portfolio in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics (PPAN). The impacts of different modelled scenarios across the broad and diverse range of STFC-funded facilities and programmes will be considered alongside feedback from the sector when taking final decisions.

The UK will also continue to invest in collaborative space science through the UK Space Agency, which has been allocated £2.8 billion over the next 4 years.

DSIT has asked UKRI to ensure that its specific investment decisions are informed by meaningful consultation with the scientific research community and a robust assessment of potential consequences for the UK’s scientific capability, research institutions and international standing.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has committed a record £58.5 billion investment in R&D over the next 4 years. This includes £38.6 billion allocated to UKRI.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) within UKRI is maintaining its budget across this period and is currently working with the sector to model different spending scenarios for its portfolio in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics (PPAN). The impacts of different modelled scenarios across the broad and diverse range of STFC-funded facilities and programmes will be considered alongside feedback from the sector when taking final decisions.

The UK will also continue to invest in collaborative space science through the UK Space Agency, which has been allocated £2.8 billion over the next 4 years.

DSIT has asked UKRI to ensure that its specific investment decisions are informed by meaningful consultation with the scientific research community and a robust assessment of potential consequences for the UK’s scientific capability, research institutions and international standing.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has committed a record £58.5 billion investment in R&D over the next 4 years. This includes £38.6 billion allocated to UKRI. The overall Government spend on R&D over the next 4 years is £86 billion.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) within UKRI has a flat budget across this period and is currently working with the sector to model different spending scenarios for its overall portfolio including in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics (PPAN). The impacts of different modelled scenarios across the broad and diverse range of STFC-funded facilities and programmes will be considered alongside feedback from the sector when taking final decisions. The current level of post-doctoral researchers and flow of PhD students will be maintained across the SR period.

DSIT has asked UKRI to ensure that its specific investment decisions are informed by meaningful engagement with the scientific research community and a robust assessment of potential consequences for the UK’s scientific capability, research institutions and international standing.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has committed a record £58.5 billion investment in R&D over the next 4 years. This includes £38.6 billion allocated to UKRI. The overall Government spend on R&D over the next 4 years is £86 billion.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) within UKRI has a flat budget across this period and is currently working with the sector to model different spending scenarios for its overall portfolio including in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics (PPAN). The impacts of different modelled scenarios across the broad and diverse range of STFC-funded facilities and programmes (which includes the Jodrell Bank Observatory), will be considered alongside feedback from the sector when taking final decisions. The current level of post-doctoral researchers and flow of PhD students will be maintained across the SR period.

DSIT has asked UKRI to ensure that its specific investment decisions are informed by meaningful engagement with the scientific research community and a robust assessment of potential consequences for the UK’s scientific capability, research institutions and international standing.