STFC’s £160 million cost-cutting plan prompts concern over future access to key UK research facilities
Major facilities like the Diamond Light Source will remain open but may reduce user support and some services, while smaller national labs face significant cuts
The UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) will keep its three major multidisciplinary research facilities – including the Diamond Light Source synchrotron in Oxfordshire – operational, but smaller national labs face substantial cuts as the organisation seeks to save £160 million over the next four years. STFC management acknowledges that delivering the plan will be challenging, while members of the science community have expressed concern about what the cuts will mean for the country’s research sector.