UK could lose generation of scientists' with cuts to projects and research facilities

"Scientists working in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics have been told their grants will be cut by nearly a third, with project leaders asked to report back on how their research would fare with cuts up to 60%. At the same time, the UK has shelved plans for four large infrastructure projects to save more than 250m. The projects include an upgrade to a detector on the Large Hadron Collider at Cern near Geneva, and an electron-ion collider under development with researchers in the US."

"In an open letter to Prof Ian Chapman, chief executive of UKRI, more than 500 researchers write: The present combination of uncertainty, delay and re-prioritisation in early-career pathways risks the loss of a generation from the UK research and industrial ecosystem. Dr Simon Williams, a 29-year-old postdoc at Durham University, studies quantum computing applications in theoretical physics and is looking for a second postdoc position."

"The only options I've realistically had are overseas, he said. As things stand, it is increasingly likely that I will take up a position in Germany rather than remain in the UK. There are simply far more viable and stable opportunities abroad. Dr Claire Rigouzzo, a 26-year-old researcher at King's College London, has accepted a post in Europe after finding nothing in the UK."

UK physics grants face cuts of nearly a third, with project leaders asked to assess impacts of cuts up to 60%. The UK has shelved four major infrastructure projects to save more than 250m, including a Large Hadron Collider detector upgrade and an electron–ion collider developed with US partners. Cost overruns are attributed to facilities, while funding decisions shift toward fewer priorities and applied research, leaving fundamental science vulnerable. More than 500 researchers warn that uncertainty and reprioritisation risk losing a generation of early-career scientists. Many early-career researchers report seeking posts abroad, and senior academics fear recruitment and student impacts.

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