UK prepares for tough science funding environment

Physics Today : An article in the London Times that suggesting the UK was considering pulling out of the CERN has caused consternation in the physics community, and denials from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), but a review of the UK’s science expenditure is ongoing.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) has suffered from a financial crisis caused by over-spending on some high-profile projects such as the Diamond synchrotron light source . In response, STFC has cut back some grants and support for some facilities, and is conducting a major science review through its advisory panels, and with input from the science community and STFC’s international partners. The report is due in December. The STFC has “to live within constrained budgets if need be, and to diversify our funding base,” says STFC’s Keith Mason.

A misquoted article

The Times article misquoted the STFC’s chief operating officer Richard Wade, says Mason and took other comments out of context.

The UK’s agreement with CERN is governed by an international treaty, and could only be changed with UK Government approval and with consultation with the other CERN partners, it cannot be made unilaterally by the STFC alone. It was the strength of this international agreement that during the 1980s, protected the UK’s particle physics community’s membership of CERN but also allowed the UK to negotiate a reduction in its membership fees .

CERN membership did however, have a knock on effect of leading to cuts in other areas of UK particle physics.

A vision for today

“The STFC’s position in relation to the LHC is made clear in our July vision document ,” says Mason, “which states that ‘our highest priority in particle physics is to exploit the Large Hadron Collider at CERN’.”

The vision document also says that the UK’s highest priorities in ground-based astronomy is to exploit membership of the European Southern Observatory , which gives access to the Very Large Telescope and to the ALMA millimeter astronomy array , and to carry out R&D towards the next generation European Extremely Large Telescope . The UK is also heavily involved in the proposed Square Kilometer Array radio telescope.

A bleak UK budget

However, the public sector, which funds the majority of research in the UK, is expected to suffer significant cuts next year because of the recession. The ongoing science review will “ensure STFC is prudently prepared for the tougher budget environment,” says Mason, and “ask tough questions about the future direction of our science and technology program, including the balance between [science] disciplines.”

The consultation encompasses all of STFC’s programs, and includes an examination of the cost-effectiveness of international subscriptions, including CERN, the European Southern Observatory, the ILL neutron source and others.

“All UK publicly-funded bodies have a responsibility to ensure value-for-money,” says Mason, “and STFC has discussed with our international partners the need to restrain costs and, if possible, reduce expenditure.”

The next few months will be challenging says Mason, “but an exciting opportunity [for STFC] to set the course for the future.”

Paul Guinnessy