UK Science Secretary Urged to Restore CERN Funding

Physicists are urging the newly appointed Jonathan Reynolds to review a cancelled decision regarding £45 million in funding for a key Cern experiment, according to reports by Research Professional News. The appeal follows a prioritisation exercise by the Science and Technology Facilities Council that shelved financial backing for the LHCb upgrade II project, threatening early career research jobs across the United Kingdom.

Jonathan Reynolds Urged to Review Cern Funding Cut

Physics researchers have formally petitioned Jonathan Reynolds following his appointment as secretary of state in the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. In a letter seen by Research Professional News, a researcher and constituent asked Reynolds to pause the imminent loss of jobs for early career researchers and reconsider the decision not to fund the LHCb upgrade II. UK Research and Innovation initially shelved approximately £45 million in planned funding for the infrastructure project in January. Further research indicates that alternative funding routes for the upgrade have also been denied.

STFC Prioritisation Exercise Halts Infrastructure Support

The Science and Technology Facilities Council, which operates under UK Research and Innovation to fund physics and space research, subjected the LHCb project to a six-month prioritisation exercise aimed at making major cost savings. According to Research Professional News, the project received high ratings for its scientific merit. Despite this positive evaluation, the STFC decided against allocating any funding because the council was unwilling to make new financial commitments.

An STFC spokesperson stated that the research council undertook the prioritisation process to address future budget pressures while protecting key commitments and ensuring long-term sustainability. The spokesperson added that more detail will be shared once the outcomes have been communicated with all affected projects.

Impact on Early Career Researchers and the UK Skills Pipeline

The cancellation of financial support has drawn criticism from academic leaders within the physics community. Conor Fitzpatrick, a senior research fellow and LHCb experiment team leader at the University of Manchester, told Research Professional News that the decision runs contrary to the purpose of the prioritisation exercise.

“Reynolds is inheriting a disaster that is already having profound negative effects on our skills pipeline for early career research and on the public perception that the UK leads the way in blue-skies research,” Fitzpatrick said. He added that the Department for Science, Business, Innovation and Trade has a real opportunity to correct this mess before it is too late.