IOP President Paul Howarth and I have today written to Science Minister Lord Vallance calling for a full impact assessment of proposed STFC cuts to particle physics, astronomy and nuclear (PPAN) research.

Ex @ukri.org STFC exec on why the Drayson partitions are being scrapped- it's because they were working as intended.

Terrific article by @si-wills.bsky.social describing the fragile progress we are seeing in particle, astro and nuclear early career researcher posts. Really hope UKRI sticks to Lord Vallances positive words on this.

Reactions, thoughts, question from @iop.org on the latest changes and statements from UKRI, STFC and the Science MInister regarding support for the physics research ecosystem. www.iop.org/about/news/i...

Removal of STFC grants protection raises long-term fears. Ending of mechanism shielding grants from rising costs “central to this funding crisis”, say researchers. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

We have an exciting new result from LHCb about to be published in PRL - my colleague Mark Smith and I took a deep look at it in The Conversation. theconversation.com/our-large-ha...

STFC chief commits to making no further cuts to postdoc funds Michele Dougherty also promises top-up funding for additional early career researcher positions after outcry www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

This is really quite a turnaround - especially as final decisions about how STFC makes £162m savings is still a way off (June at the earliest) Definitely counts as a win for all those raising concerns about the impact of STFC cuts on postdocs

New @ukri.org statement on the #STFC funding cuts "we commit to maintaining postdoctoral researchers across PPAN at least at the same level as last year" I think this a win for the fantastic ECR campaign, but last yr's numbers were already cut on the previous..🤔🧪🔭⚛️ ℹ️ www.ukri.org/publications...

“after a request from RPN, UKRI said the STFC budget would be £849m in 2026-27, £821m in 2027-28, £824m in 2028-29 and £842m in 2029-30” “Since 2023-24, inflation has seen STFC’s budget drop in real terms and is expected to continue to decline through to 2029-30.”

STFC budget falling in real terms even as UKRI spending rises. New figures show pressure on cash-strapped council, as scientists warn of wide-ranging impacts from cuts. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

If this is correct, then the claim that the issues in STFC are mostly to do with increased costs, inflation, exchange rates, and being overly ambitious would appear to not be true!

Finally some clarity on the #STFC budget: it's falling in real terms as UKRI spending rises. A conscious decision has been made to decrease UK funding for fundamental physics, despite all the evidence that our blue skies research is key for economic growth. Thank you @resprofnews.bsky.social!

While lots of attention has been on expected cuts to the particle physics, astronomy and nuclear programme, hundreds of researchers from other fields are also raising concerns about cuts to STFC-run facilities which they rely on

Full story by @isaacbarbosa1.bsky.social and me: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

Cuts to UK Astronomy? It's all about the base(line). A short post on LinkedIn highlighting that the effective cuts to UK Astronomy funding are not some far off possibility - they have already started. www.linkedin.com/posts/profji...

"We need a credible plan for science funding in the UK" Excellent letters in @theguardian.com from Prof Ruben Saakyan and Prof Sheila Rowan on the cuts to @ukri.org - STFC PPAN science www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

"We need a credible plan for science funding in the UK" Excellent letters in @theguardian.com from Prof Ruben Saakyan and Prof Sheila Rowan on the cuts to @ukri.org - STFC PPAN science www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

Great to see this analysis out. It was a pleasure to work with Tim Evans and Joshua Horswill on this, supported by my @erc.europa.eu Starting Grant 'Beauty2Charm'. Joshua now works in GreenOps at GreenPixie.com

Observation of the doubly charmed baryon Ξcc⁺ with the LHCb Run 3 detector - The Ξ+cc mass is measured to be 3619.97±0.83±0.26+1.90−1.30MeV, where the third uncertainty is due to the unknown lifetime, which is assumed to lie in the range 15-160 fs. arxiv.org/abs/2603.28456

Excellent thread by @robinbisson.bsky.social of @resprofnews.bsky.social. We keep being told 'there are no cuts'. This is a concrete example of a 67% cut. Also true in Astro, Nuclear and Particle Experiment. Contrary to Lord Vallance and Sir Ian Chapman of @ukri.org's letter to the Committee.

All of the comms I've seen from UKRI this year have been at best incomplete and misleading. It's all depressingly Trumpian - hope you people are proud of yourselves.

In a letter to @chionwurah.bsky.social the Science Minister states: "~20 particle physics theory post-doctoral researchers [are] funded by UKRI each year." That’s not typical; that’s the post-cut baseline from 2026. The previous cycle supported ~60. Framing this as “normal” obscures a ~70% cut.

This is pure 1984: Lord Vallance promises that there will be no reduction in UK particle theory postdoc numbers from ~20 per year. The actual number awarded in the last round in 2022 was 58. committees.parliament.uk/publications...

The Committee has also published a followup set of questions. committees.parliament.uk/committee/13...

I simply do not understand the reply to the SIT committee from Lord Vallance - the claim made about the Drayson partitions is fundamentally inconsistent with previous statements over the last decade from STFC.

What is the impact of cuts to physics? Read more here ⬇️ www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

Drayson partitions considered by govt to be those retractable barriers they use for airport queues.

The situation is stark: ~70% cuts to theoretical particle physics PDRAs will be catastrophic. The cuts are effectively baked in for the next four years unless additional funding is brought in to stabilise the situation. This will translate directly into severe early-career attrition.

@resprofnews.bsky.social's @francesjones.bsky.social continues to do the hard work. 67% cut to theory positions, while Sir Ian at @ukri.org tells @iop.org there are no cuts. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

Sorry to hear of the passing of Tracy Kidder. The Soul of a New Machine was one of the first nonfiction books I read as a kid and it still resonates. www.theguardian.com/books/2026/m...

It looks like the disaster unfolding with @ukri.org is being noticed over on the other site.

Brian Cox attacks ‘devastating’ STFC cuts as postdocs slashed, reports @jgro-the.bsky.social #AcademicSky #physics #cuts https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/brian-cox-attacks-devastating-stfc-cuts-postdocs-slashed

NEW: Feature by me on Physics cuts ‘could hurt government’s dash for growth’ Letters last March were sent to project leaders informing them that their funding would not be renewed. “We’re losing people”, including postdoctoral researchers. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

Another banger from @francesjones.bsky.social in @resprofnews.bsky.social on the @ukri.org PPAN situation. “The uncertainties around career progression often drive early career researchers abroad or out of research completely” www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

In the absence of a response from @ukri.org to Dame @chionwurah.bsky.social and the Select Committee, two letters to the Committee have been published today and are worth a read: 1/4

An effective 70% cut can not be a clerical mistake. Another incredibly concerning development in STFC science funding

This is appalling. Lord Vallance has said that he was 'determined that UKRI must find a way to look after PPAN'. It doesn't look like UKRI is doing so.

Less than one week after this post, the theoretical particle physics grants have been ruthlessly cut. PDRA positions are down by ~70% compared to the last funding cycle. Some groups cannot even hire postdocs for the next 4 years. This is on top of an effective 100% hiring cut for October 2026.

Good piece by @malcfairbairn.bsky.social: "The STFC turmoil bodes ill for UK plc as well as UK physics" www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/stfc...

Daniel Zeichner MP: Why I’m challenging UKRI on plans to cut physics research funding www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/news/daniel-...

Viability of top particle physics group put in doubt by STFC cuts Group at Cambridge’s world-famous Cavendish Laboratory may be “unable to continue to operate”, says @cambridgephysics.bsky.social professor www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

'Research funding cuts threaten a whole generation of scientists' Good article in @resprofnews.bsky.social from @royalastrosoc.bsky.social president and president elect on damage to the skills pipeline www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...

'If the UK wants to lead in the technologies of the future, it must also protect the research base that makes them possible.' Excellent letter from @si-wills.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Transparency is so important when there is change. There needs to be a full well-motivated #UKRI picture that is clear to everyone, with a clear and fair impact assessment. Maintaining that there is growth gaslights those facing cuts and adds disquiet and confusion. This is not transparent yet.

Yesterday, @ukri.org were spooked by this article enough to put out comms that completely failed to address any of the points this article raises. Worth a read.

Not just STFC beneficiaries noticing issues with this:

Today's UKRI tweet on UKRI funding reforms and the financial position of STFC paints an incomplete and, in some areas, misleading picture. STFCs own council minutes set the record straight: www.ukri.org/publications...