UK Particle Physics: 2026 information
This is a public website collecting information, letters, news articles, etc on the current funding situation for particle physics in the UK
This is a public website collecting information, letters, news articles, etc on the current funding situation for particle physics in the UK
On 28th January a letter was circulated to the PPAN community from Michele Dougherty, executive chair of the Science and Technology Research Council, announcing a reprioritisation of the Particle Physics, Astrophysics and Nuclear Physics (PPAN) programme which would involve funding being cut of around 30%. This followed, and is additional to, decisions to withdraw infrastructure funding from the LHCb upgrade and EIC projects. Individual projects within PPAN have been asked to submit proformas by 10th March indicating the impact of cuts at 20%,40% and 60% and the point at which the project would become unviable.
The programme-wide implications of such cuts would include loss of international scientific leadership and return on investment from projects for which the UK has already made significant contributions. Failing to meet our commitments to large international projects like the ATLAS, CMS and LHCb upgrades at CERN would harm our reputation and have knock-on implications for international partners if these projects are to succeed. Reduction of STFC grant income at the 30% level will threaten the viability of some PP groups and some physics departments.
The particle physics advisory panel (PPAP) held a community meeting on 4th February to discuss the announcement and next steps. At the time of writing several avenues are being pursued:
Discussion and advocacy with policy makers. UKRI announcements make clear that the cost pressures at STFC are primarily due to inflation (including increased staff numbers and higher electricity bills) in the facilities and national laboratories. The potentially existential cuts to the PPAN programme are a (perhaps unplanned) consequence of the attempt to control these pressures. Clarifying this point and engaging with policy makers on the impact and value of the PPAN community and its strong alignment with the UKRI mission is essential.
Individual PPAN projects, led by their PIs, are working within their communities to provide the information requested by the proformas. This can help to make a strong argument that cuts to PPAN should be minimised.
We are grateful to everyone willing to advocate for and support the PPAN community. The particle physics community response to this rapidly evolving situation is being coordinated by Jon Butterworth, Brian Cox, Kirsty Duffy, Malcolm Fairbairn, Mark Lancaster, Chris Parkes, Ruben Saakyan and Sarah Williams. Please reach out if you have suggestions, would like advice or to let us know of articles/initiatives not listed on this page.
(This is just a collection of public material. If you have more that you'd like to include let me know d.costanzo@sheffield.ac.uk)
17 March. Science diplomacy - Oral evidence
12 March (NEW). Letter from Dame Chi Onwurah MP to Lord Vallance and Sir Chapman
4 March. Science, Innovation and Technology Committee - Oral evidence session
(transcript)
3 March. Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology - Oral evidence (Lords)
16 February. Open Letter from Ian Chapman
6 February. IOP responds to cancellation of UK funding for major international science projects
3 February. Science and technology committee questions to Ian Chapman
1 February. Open letter from Ian Chapman
28 January. IOP response: Vital science cut in "devastating blow"
28 January. Letter sent from STFC to the PPAN community
Open letter: Students' Response to UKRI Investment Approach
Open letter: Early Career Researchers Response to UKRI Investment Approach
Open letter: Advanced Fellows Response to UKRI Investment Approach
... and the Letter from the fellows to the Times
Open letter from the STFC Advisory panels
Open letter to the Science Minister from Heads of Physics
Survey: Charting STFC career paths. Deadline 13 March
Community meeting on 4 February 2026
Response submitted to Science Board on 24 February 2026
March
12 March. Research Professional - STFC boss acknowledges hit to postdocs from physics cuts
9 March. The Telegraph - Labour budget cuts ‘risk Britain missing out on next Einstein’ (paywall)
4 March. Research Professional - Cern project cut ‘weakens’ UK global standing, says STFC leader
4 March. Research Professional - Vallance: UKRI ‘must find a way’ to protect physics grants programme
2 March. Research Professional - Fears over STFC cost-savings plan aired since September 2025
2 March. Research Professional - University physics heads warn Vallance of STFC cuts impact
2 March. Financial Times - Top academics warn UK physics cuts threaten effort to boost economy
February
26 February. The Guardian Letters - Concerns over funding for science in the UK
19 February. Research Professional - Funding U-turn will cost UK trust and leadership, partners say
19 February. Research Professional - Leaving Cern collaboration betrays Europe and sidelines UK
18 February. Akram Khan on LinkedIn - CERN Is an Innovation Pipeline — and the UK Is Squeezing the Valve
12 February. Research Professional - Cern LHCb partners warn of ‘severe harm’ from lost UK funds
12 February. The Guardian Letters - Funding cuts will devastate the next generation of scientists
11 February. Research Professional - ‘Irresponsible’ not to cut costs at STFC, says UKRI chief
10 February. Research Professional - Physics cuts put livelihoods, investment and reputation at risk
9 February. Physics World - CERN upgrade to LHCb experiment threatened by UK funding cuts
9 February. New Scientist on - Physicists warn of 'catastrophic' impact from UK science cuts
9 February. Research Professional - STFC ‘has chosen facilities over saving grants’, claims ex-adviser
9 February. Research Professional - Loss of UK funds ‘could collapse’ Cern upgrade project
8 February. Nus night episode 3. Interview with John Womersley. UK Physics To Suffer Massive Funding Cuts
6 February. The Guardian - UK could ‘lose generation of scientists’ with cuts to projects and research facilities
5 February. BBC - UK's £8bn research fund faces 'hard decisions' as it pauses new grants
5 February. Research professional - ‘Difficult’ two years ahead for physics, warns STFC boss
5 February. Financial Times - UK to scrap more than £250mn in planned physics project funding
5 February. Nature - Is UK science in jeopardy? Huge funding reforms spark chaos and anxiety
4 February. The Times - Letter from Jon Butterworth in response to Sir Paul Nurse
4 February. Times higher education - UKRI chief blames leaks as cuts ‘not well communicated’
2 February. The Times - Letter from Sir Paul Nurse
1 February. Financial times - UK physicists raise alarm over planned funding cuts
January
30 January. Research professional - UKRI shelves physics infrastructure projects worth £280m
29 January. Science - U.K. physics community braces for deep funding cuts
29 January. Research professional - Nobel winner and senior scientists slam cuts to UK physics
29 January. The Times - UK’s science superpower hopes hit as Labour slashes physics funding
29 January. Times higher education - ‘Devastating’ cuts to UK physics and astronomy budgets condemned
28 January. Research professional - UK physics research and science facilities face ‘substantial’ cuts
February 2025, the first sign of issues
3 February 2025. Research professional - Major facilities could be scaled back as UKRI budget squeezed
IOP A Study of the Cross-Discipline and Societal Benefits of UK Research in Particle Physics
IOP Particle physics – it matters
Selling Particle Physics to The Treasury (Mark Lancaster's presentation)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) annual report and accounts 2010-11
Page 6: Following the findings of the so-called “Drayson Review,” and the support of Government after listening to our concerns, our Delivery Plan has been structured around the three budgetary partitions announced in March 2010 by the Government - international subscriptions, UK large facilities and our core programme. This approach will avoid the transfer of possible future financial pressures to other parts of the programme, especially university grants, and will ensure that the large facility operations meet the collective needs of the Research Councils.
The impact of spending cuts on science and scientific research (2010)
Page 20 statement from Lord Drayson: 'However, it has become clear to me that there are real tensions in having international science projects, large scientific facilities and UK grant giving roles within a single Research Council. It leads to grants being squeezed by increases in costs of the large international projects which are not solely within their control. I will work urgently with Professor Sterling, the STFC and the wider research community to find a better solution by the end of February 2010.