A brilliant piece summarising yesterday’s Science, Innovation and Technology Committee hearing on the proposed #STFC cuts.
The risks to early-career researchers and the UK research pipeline are very real.
Honoured to have represented the ECR community and give evidence at the hearing.
05.03.2026 12:45 —
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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
...
04.03.2026 18:54 —
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Vallance: UKRI ‘must find a way’ to protect physics grants programme - Research Professional News
Curiosity-driven research “cannot suffer” from budget pressures, science minister tells Lords committee
Significant from Patrick Vallance at Lords science committee:
He is "determined that UKRI must find a way to look after" STFC's physics, astronomy and nuclear grants.
"Tension" between STFC facilities and grants funding "needs to be resolved".
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
04.03.2026 16:32 —
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The committee, headed by @chionwurah.bsky.social, were excellent & really well briefed on this complex topic. They are genuinely trying to get to the bottom of how the UK finds itself on the brink of devastating cuts to world-class fundamental physics when the overall science budget is increasing.
04.03.2026 15:02 —
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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 🔭👩🔬⚛️
04.03.2026 15:02 —
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Can researchers balance China ties against censorship threats? - Research Professional News
Academics and universities are having to navigate complex political terrain as governments scrutinise China connections
Can researchers balance China ties against censorship threats?
Enjoyed writing this feature, looking at the complex political terrain academics and universities have to face when governments are scrutinising China connections.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-worl...
19.02.2026 11:54 —
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Latest on the consequences of the UK's decision to scrap two international physics projects.
The "UK would not anymore be considered a reliable partner in the field of fundamental physics—and that is a big change," an Italian physicist tells me.
19.02.2026 09:49 —
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Funding U-turn will cost UK trust and leadership, partners say.
Senior European physicists say country’s status as “reliable partner” damaged by withdrawal of pledged investment.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...
19.02.2026 07:38 —
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Some encouraging news for the Subscribe to Open publishing model today - this does go a year at a time, so we'll see what 2027 brings - but alternative OA methods are starting to catch on.
17.02.2026 12:00 —
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Hot take - it doesn't matter what you study, the process of learning itself will always have value. Even if you chose to study the career of Suella Braverman, for example - you'd still be developing skills in critical thinking, writing, information synthesis, source comprehension & evaluation...
17.02.2026 14:41 —
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UKRI has hit limit in paying for science facilities, says ex-leader.
Ottoline Leyser calls budget woes at Science and Technology Facilities Council “horrible” and “painful”.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
13.02.2026 08:04 —
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Former UKRI leader Ottoline Leyser talks to @francesjones.bsky.social about the "horrible" funding problems facing Science and Technology Facilities Council.
STFC funds major facilities and labs, along with grants for physics and astronomy.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
13.02.2026 09:59 —
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Ian Chapman makes the case that he would not be doing his job properly if he didn't deal with the cost overruns at STFC, which are causing so much grief to physicists
Physics groups are calling on ministers to intervene (presumably with more cash)
And there is now a response from a minister
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11.02.2026 17:46 —
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UKRI funding changes ‘pushing junior researchers abroad’ - Research Professional News
Disruptions to core funding streams raise fears for a “generation” of early career researchers
NEW on RPN:
Hits to research grant funding at UKRI are already causing junior researchers to leave the country, according to some academics, amid fears that those at the start of their careers are set to be “disproportionately” impacted. #ECRchat
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
11.02.2026 08:14 —
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Physics cuts put livelihoods, investment and reputation at risk - Research Professional News
Cutting the UK out of the Electron-Ion Collider project will damage science, says Daria Sokhan
Opinion: Physics cuts put livelihoods, investment and reputation at risk.
Cutting the UK out of the Electron-Ion Collider project will damage science, says Daria Sokhan.
Free to read (and well worth your time).
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...
10.02.2026 11:41 —
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Physics cuts put livelihoods, investment and reputation at risk - Research Professional News
Cutting the UK out of the Electron-Ion Collider project will damage science, says Daria Sokhan
Physics cuts put livelihoods, investment and reputation at risk
Powerful opinion piece from Daria Sokhan, principal investigator of the EIC-UK project (which was one of the infrastructure projects shelved by UKRI)
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...
10.02.2026 11:38 —
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Loss of UK funds ‘will collapse’ Cern upgrade project - Research Professional News
Elected project leader warns that planned investment of about 150 million Swiss francs could “disappear”
Loss of UK funds ‘will collapse’ Cern upgrade project.
Latest from the elected leader of the upgrade to the LHCb experiment at Cern. He tells me that 150 million Swiss francs in planned investment from international partners could “disappear”.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...
09.02.2026 16:29 —
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