Hundreds of jobs are set to go at some of the UK’s major science facilities after a research council unveiled plans to reduce infrastructure spending by tens of millions of pounds a year.

Under plans to reduce its annual spending by £162 million by 2029-30, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) will mothball the CLARA electron test accelerator it runs at its Daresbury Laboratory in Cheshire, reduce the operational budget of the Boulby Underground Mine facility in North Yorkshire by 40 per cent and reduce spending on computing by £10 million a year.

Fewer experiments will also be conducted at the STFC’s ISIS neutron research facility, located as the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory at the Harwell research campus in Oxfordshire, as part of efforts to save £28 million in operation costs at multidisciplinary facilities.

Reducing activity at smaller STFC facilities is part of a “targeted prioritisation” plan unveiled by the STFC, which will see estates spending on national laboratories reduce by 58 per cent by the end of the decade.

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Leading multidisciplinary facilities, including the Diamond Light Source, ISIS Neutron and Muon Source and the Central Laser Facility, all based at the Harwell campus, near Oxford, will remain operational, though these multidisciplinary facilities budgets will reduce by 15 per cent over four years, STFC confirmed.

However, spending on postdoctoral research posts will rise by almost 2 per cent a year, in line with inflation, up to 2029-20, the STFC confirmed, while PhD scholarships will also remain the same, as confirmed by science secretary Liz Kendall at the House of Commons’ science committee on 8 July.

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Speaking to journalists ahead of the STFC’s announcement of its spending plans, Ian Chapman, chief executive at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) said the budget would mean job cuts “in the hundreds”, though this should be seen in light of a recent rise in STFC staff numbers of about 800 last year.

“None of these decisions are easy but we have a flat budget and an increasing cost base,” said Chapman, speaking alongside STFC executive chair Michelle Dougherty, on how STFC’s core budget of £835 million in 2025-26 would rise to just £842 million by 2029-30.

Over this period, however, spending on international facilities and infrastructure would rise by £55 million, reaching £350 million by 2029-30.

While activity at some facilities would be scaled back, other STFC facilities would be encouraged to seek additional funding from industry to help balance their books, explained Chapman, noting that UKRI had provided some £135 million in deferred UKRI funding over three years to help with this transition.

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“We are trying to buy as much time as we can to protect the capabilities that we have; we are trying to do the responsible thing,” said Chapman on efforts to attract more private backing for STFC facilities.

Increasing this type of income would require a “cultural change” at the STFC, explained Dougherty. “We have to rethink how we work with our partners and reset our relationships,” she said.

While particle physics, astronomy and nuclear (PPAN) PhD and postdoctoral numbers will remain at 2025-26 levels, the overall science budget for PPAN will decrease by 2.7 per cent over four years, with cost reductions across some of the 48 funded projects likely to be announced later this year.

“Faced with growing costs that will exceed available budgets, we have to act now to avoid more serious disruption later,” explained Dougherty, stating the cost saving plan is “the responsible approach to put STFC on a sustainable long-term footing.”

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“To develop these plans we have engaged extensively with our communities to understand the value they derive from STFC’s facilities and research. I want to thank everyone who has contributed to that process, including our staff, expert advisory panels and science boards, which I know has been very uncomfortable for many in our community.

“The strength of feeling and depth of engagement we have seen reflect the passion people have for the research STFC enables. While these have been challenging conversations, they have helped shape a plan offering the best available solution under challenging conditions.”

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jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com