This document is a UKRI summary of a meeting held on 3 March 2026 between senior leadership from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and 10 early career researcher (ECR) representatives.
The ECRs were signatories of open letters and are funded through the Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear Physics (PPAN) programme. The programme is administered by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), one of UKRI’s constituent councils.
PPAN budget and risk to post-doctoral funding
The ECRs raised concerns about references to a potential 30% reduction in funding and asked whether PPAN science is being strategically de-prioritised.
The ECRs sought greater clarity on cost drivers, including energy costs, inflation and exchange rate movements, and asked how much these are forecast to increase.
Here is the information that we have on cost drivers (which was not available at the meeting):
- over the last five years, inflationary pressures have increased STFC’s total costs by an estimated £136 million per annum compared to financial year 2021 to 2022
- this includes £50 million of increased costs per annum for access to international infrastructures, split roughly fifty-fifty between unfavourable movements in foreign exchange rates and subscription costs
- the remaining £86 million includes further cost increases in the rest of STFC’s portfolio, split between staff costs (£34 million), grants (£16 million), utilities (£7 million), net operational costs (£6 million) and inflation on capital (£23 million)
The ECRs highlighted that PPAN grants are exposed within STFC due to the interaction between international subscriptions, facilities and research grants, and questioned whether stronger financial partitioning or structural reform is needed to protect curiosity-driven research.
The ECRs warned that sustained funding reductions would have impacts on career pipelines and talent attraction and raised concerns about the UK’s international standing and reliability as a partner.
There was discussion of the particle theory postdoctoral situation and concerns that delays would lead to no theory postdocs starting in October 2026. UKRI stated that this was inadvertent and due to the timing of UKRI’s budget agreement in December 2025. It was asked if UKRI could examine the potential impact of losing ECRs from PPAN fields.
The ECRs requested a formal letter to the community clarifying the prioritisation process. UKRI is analysing the responses to the prioritisation process and will update the community as soon as possible. UKRI have organised a series of engagement events to listen to the community and will continue to do so, as well as looking at what other opportunities there are to engage.
Infrastructure fund and national capability
The ECRs stated that reducing curiosity-led research could reduce national capability to respond to shifting government priorities.
UKRI acknowledged the cost pressures facing STFC, noting that the UK’s international subscription commitments, including its membership of CERN, are not funded from within the PPAN programme itself. This creates an additional source of pressure on the grants available to UK researchers.
PPAN positioning within UKRI
The ECRs acknowledged that PPAN research has significant overlap with areas of strategic importance to government and society, including sectors identified in the UK’s Industrial Strategy and other national priority areas.
UKRI acknowledged a point raised by the House of Commons Science Innovation and Technology Select Committee of whether PPAN’s current home within STFC is the most effective structural arrangement for securing and maximising that broader value. As referenced in UKRI’s response to the Select Committee, this is a point that will be revisited with the community in the next few months.
UKRI agreed that this overlap exists and confirmed that ECRs funded through PPAN remain eligible to apply for funding opportunities across the wider UKRI portfolio. UKRI also acknowledged that the question of whether PPAN’s positioning within STFC remains optimal in the longer term.
Impact assessment and future communications
The ECRs highlighted communications as an area of significant concern. They noted that the research community currently has limited visibility of the criteria being used to make funding decisions, as well as the timelines involved. This uncertainty makes forward planning difficult for researchers, their supervisors, and their institutions.
UKRI acknowledged these concerns and expressed a commitment to improving transparency for the research community. UKRI recognises the importance of proportionate and meaningful dialogue.
UKRI continues to organise community engagement activity which ECRs can participate in, including Town Halls that are organised by the respective research communities, such as the High Energy Particle Physics and Astroparticle Physics Town Hall. ECRs can also feed into the advisory panel for the respective community, such as the Astronomy Advisory Panel. These provide a link to the community and represent the needs of the community to STFC.