Through the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), part of UKRI, the UK continues to invest in world-leading discovery and curiosity-driven research in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics (PPAN). Our funding enables scientists to explore some of the biggest questions about our Universe, from the fundamental building blocks of matter to the origins of stars and galaxies.
These are inherently global disciplines, with research often relying on international collaboration and access to unique, bespoke facilities and infrastructure, including major telescopes, particle accelerators and specialised laboratories. To secure UK participation in such facilities, STFC funds international subscriptions that are used in PPAN science, including:
- European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN)
- European Southern Observatory (ESO)
- Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO)
- Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes (ING)
- Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR)
Overall, during this Spending Review period (from April 2026 to March 2030), our investment in PPAN is £794 million, in addition to the relevant subscriptions, will be focused on maintaining a strong and sustainable research programme, with funding prioritised towards the areas that deliver the greatest long-term scientific impact. This level of investment has been carefully assessed to ensure it continues to support a strong research base, delivers groundbreaking scientific knowledge for the UK, and enables both the experiments of today and the discoveries of tomorrow.
Particle physics and accelerators
We are continuing to invest in particle physics, maintaining core research funding and increasing support for particle physics theory. This investment:
- sustains the UK’s world-leading particle physics community
- supports highly specialised skills and technologies
- enables UK scientists to contribute to major international discoveries about the fundamental nature of our Universe
- maintains our ongoing support for operations at major international facilities (ATLAS, CMS, LHCb, Hyper-K)
We are maintaining grant funding for particle physics, astronomy and nuclear at 2025 to 2026 levels, now adjusted for inflation. This includes continued support for the UK accelerator institutes, which develop critical capabilities in accelerator science and technology and help maintain the specialist expertise that underpins some of the world’s most significant particle physics facilities and experiments.
We have also confirmed our commitment to the Institute of Particle Physics Phenomenology, which carries out theoretical research into the fundamental particles and forces that make up our Universe, helping to predict and explain the results of major particle physics experiments.
At CERN, one of the world’s leading centres for particle physics, which hosts the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), we will complete the UK’s contribution to upgrades of two of its major experiments:
- A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS (ATLAS)
- Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS)
We will also support the integration of the UK’s contribution to the High-Luminosity LHC, which will significantly increase the collider’s ability to study fundamental particles and explore new physics, expected to be operational in June 2030.
By studying particles at LHC, scientists are learning more about the fundamental building blocks of matter and the forces that govern our Universe, helping us understand how the Universe works at its most basic level.
We remain committed to the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility/Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (LBNF/DUNE), but at a reduced level of funding in future. This will support key target and beam work, as well as the UK’s contributions to DUNE. Funding for the Proton Improvement Plan-II (PIP-II) continues unchanged.
Particle astrophysics
We continue to invest in particle astrophysics, supporting UK researchers to investigate some of the biggest unanswered questions about the universe, from the nature of dark matter to the violent cosmic events that generate gravitational waves.
Gravitational waves
We will maintain and renew grant funding to support the UK community’s work with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in the US, helping to support its ongoing operations. LIGO detects gravitational waves, tiny ripples in space-time caused by powerful events such as colliding black holes and neutron stars.
We will also maintain the UK community’s leadership in key areas of the next generation of gravitational-wave projects that will bridge to these future projects.
Dark matter
Dark matter is invisible matter that does not emit or reflect light, but whose gravity affects how galaxies and the wider Universe behave. We will provide new funding to support the UK’s ambitions in dark matter research that will bridge to the next funding opportunity for the UK contribution to the Xenon-LUX-ZEPLIN-Darwin (XLZD) experiment.
Astronomy
The UK will continue to support a world-leading astronomy programme that combines research, access to international facilities and development of new instruments. Through our investment, UK researchers will continue to explore the origins and evolution of stars, planets and galaxies, investigate dark energy, and search for planets beyond our Solar System.
We will maintain support for major international facilities and programmes, including the following.
The European Southern Observatory (ESO), which provides access to some of the world’s most advanced telescopes such as the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the Atacama Large Millimeter / submillimeter array (ALMA). The Cassegrain U-Band Efficient Spectrograph (CUBES) instrument on the VLT will help scientists study the atmospheres and chemistry of stars and planets. ALMA allows scientists to understand how stars and planets form from clouds of gas and dust.
The Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), which will repeatedly map the night sky to help scientists understand how the Universe changes over time.
The Simons Observatory, which studies the early Universe and the origins of cosmic structure.
We are investing in the next generation of world-leading astronomical facilities that will come online over the next decade, including the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) and its first instrumentation programme, and the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO). These facilities will enable groundbreaking research into distant galaxies, stars and planets, helping to answer some of the biggest questions about the Universe.
We continue to support radio astronomy through the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), headquartered at Jodrell Bank. As one of the world’s largest and most powerful radio telescopes, the SKAO will use radio waves to explore the origins and evolution of the Universe, from the formation of stars and galaxies to the search for new insights about planets and cosmic phenomena. Our support includes the telescope’s construction and the UK SKAO Regional Centre, which will help UK researchers access and analyse the vast quantities of data it produces.
Some areas we will continue support at a reduced level, including the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes and a number of smaller observational facilities such as:
- studying the Sun with BiSON
- searching for signals from gravitational wave events with GOTO (the Gravitational-wave Optical Transient Observer)
- the Liverpool Telescope
- the Next Generation Transit Survey which searches for planets beyond our solar system
Nuclear physics
We continue to support the UK’s world-leading nuclear physics community through both theoretical research and experimental programmes. This research helps scientists understand the structure of atomic nuclei, how the elements are formed, and the processes that shaped the Universe in the moments after the Big Bang.
This includes maintaining and operating:
- the Isotope Separator On-Line (ISOLDE) facility, which produces and studies rare radioactive isotopes to help scientists understand the structure of atomic nuclei
- A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE) at CERN, which studies matter under the extreme conditions that existed shortly after the Big Bang
- the Advanced Gamma Tracking Array (AGATA), which uses advanced detectors to study the structure and behaviour of atomic nuclei
We will also seek new opportunities through future Industrial Strategy 8 programmes and by working with other government departments.
We will complete our commitments to international construction projects, including:
- delivering 72 cerium bromide (CeBr₃) crystals for the first ring of a new gamma-ray spectrometer at the Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory (RIBF) at the RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science in Japan. The spectrometer will allow scientists to study the properties and structure of atomic nuclei by detecting gamma rays
- developing and constructing a silicon detection system for the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University in the US. FRIB produces rare forms of atomic nuclei that allow scientists to investigate how nuclei are formed and behave
- a new nuclear physics funding opportunity from 2028 to enable the UK to continue its engagement and leadership at international research facilities and to support advances in nuclear research instrumentation
- completing the UK’s in-kind contribution to FAIR by delivering the Reactions with Relativistic Radioactive Beams (R3B) silicon tracker. This detector will help scientists track particles produced when radioactive atomic nuclei collide, providing new insights into the structure of atomic nuclei. Funding for the UK’s FAIR subscription is now provided through the STFC international subscriptions budget
Underpinning the PPAN programme
STFC supports the specialist technology, engineering and computing capabilities that underpin the UK’s world-leading research in particle physics and astronomy. This includes continued support, at a reduced level, for the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UKATC), which provides the technical and engineering expertise needed to develop advanced astronomical instruments and facilities.
We continue to fund DiRAC, a high-performance computing facility that enables researchers to carry out detailed simulations and calculations to understand the evolution of the Universe.
In particle physics, STFC’s Particle Physics Department supports UK scientists and engineers to design, build and operate major international experiments, develop the technologies needed to explore fundamental particles and forces, and analyse the data they produce.
Supporting talent and skills
Sustaining the UK’s international leadership in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics depends on attracting, developing and retaining talented researchers at every career stage.
We continue to support the next generation of scientists through an annual cohort of around 220 postgraduate students undertaking PhD research at universities across the UK. We are also maintaining support for postdoctoral researchers through our grants programmes and investing in future research leaders through the Ernest Rutherford Fellowship scheme and UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships.
We are also continuing to attract leading researchers and teams from around the world to work in the UK through dedicated support programmes such as the Global Talent Fund, backed by £54 million. Partnering with universities and research organisations across the UK, the fund supports research, visa and relocation costs for researchers working in critical areas like clean energy, life sciences, and advanced technologies.
Together, these investments help ensure that the UK continues to develop the skills, expertise and leadership needed to drive future scientific discoveries and maintain its position as a world-leading research nation.