UK ‘could lose generation of scientists’ with cuts to projects and research facilities | Science

Hundreds of early-career researchers have warned that the UK will lose a generation of scientists after significant budget cuts to physics projects and research facilities were announced.

Scientists working in the fields of particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics were informed that their grants would be cut by almost a third, and project leaders were asked to report on the progress of their research with reductions of up to 60%.

At the same time, the UK scrapped plans for four major infrastructure projects to save more than £250 million. The projects include a detector upgrade at the Large Hadron Collider at Cern near Geneva, as well as an electron-ion collider being developed with American researchers.

While the cost overruns are due to facilities, the cuts hit physics grants, as science funding body UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) seeks to “do fewer things better” and prioritize applied research over more fundamental science.

In an open letter to Professor Ian Chapman, chief executive of UKRI, more than 500 researchers write: “The current combination of uncertainty, delay and reprioritization in early career pathways risks losing a generation of the UK research and industrial ecosystem. »

Dr Simon Williams, a 29-year-old postdoctoral researcher at the University of Durham, studies applications of quantum computing in theoretical physics and is looking for a second postdoctoral position. “The only options I realistically had were overseas,” he said. “As things stand, it is increasingly likely that I will take 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, took a job in Europe after finding nothing in the UK. Early-career scientists have faced one of the toughest job markets in years, she said, but the impacts have been broader. Top academics are worried because they can’t attract the best researchers, she said. “Even students can feel that science is no longer a priority,” she added. “Morale is extremely low across the board. »

UKRI has almost £9 billion to distribute through the research councils this year, covering physical sciences and engineering, biological sciences and medical research. The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) funds physics research as well as major facilities such as the Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire.

STFC is to make £162 million in savings by 2030 after seeing electricity costs soar at its domestic facilities and subscriptions to international projects such as Cern and the European Space Agency rise with exchange rates. The funder has also committed to projects that it can no longer afford.

Another King researcher, Dr. Lucien Heurtier, 37, will reach the end of his contract in September and has started looking for a job in China. “It is clear that no UK university will want to open professorships in curiosity-driven research if those professors are not able to attract much national funding,” he said. “My wife and daughter will have to follow.”

The loss of grants means the UK faces a situation where it has spent huge sums on overseas projects such as the groundbreaking Rubin Observatory in Chile, which will come into operation this year, but cannot have any British astronomers to work there. “The timing of these proposed cuts, just as the telescopes are starting to operate, could not be worse,” said Professor Catherine Heymans, Astronomer Royal of Scotland.

Professor Mike Lockwood, president of the Royal Astronomical Society, urged the government to intervene to avoid a scientific “catastrophe”. “You’re losing a whole generation,” he said. “Facilities are overloaded and it’s young researchers who are bearing the brunt. As a nation, we cannot allow this to happen.”

Speaking to reporters, Chapman defended the decision. “When you make choices, some things are missing, but when you don’t make choices, everyone misses out because you stifle everyone and then nothing can be competitive internationally because everything is underfunded,” he said.