The Government awarded UKRI a record settlement in the 2025 Spending Review, from which the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) core budget is flat between 2026 to 2030. However STFC’s costs are forecast to increase significantly in this period due to factors including:
- increased energy costs
- unfavourable foreign exchange fluctuations
- higher staffing costs
- an expanded portfolio of activities
STFC has conducted a prioritisation exercise to plan how to bring it to a balanced position by 2030.
The approved programme reflects UKRI’s strategic priorities in action, focusing investment where it will deliver the greatest long-term impact, prioritising discovery research and major research facilities, but includes some tough choices.
More detail is available in the explainer for the STFC prioritisation outcomes.
UKRI’s chief executive, Professor Sir Ian Chapman has written an open letter to the research and innovation community about the STFC outcomes.
Professor Sir Ian Chapman (UKRI CEO) and Professor Michele Dougherty (STFC Executive Chair) provide an update on work to set budgets within the Science and Technology Facilities Council.
Video credit: UKRI
Video transcript and on-screen captions are available by watching on YouTube.
Community engagement
We have engaged extensively with our communities to understand the value they derive from STFC’s facilities and research. This has allowed STFC in partnership with our Council and expert Science Boards to identify where activity can be streamlined while protecting core capability. We have published the following from our community engagement:
- April: update to community from Michel Dougherty (STFC Executive Chair)
- March: summary of a meeting with early career researchers from the PPAN programme
- March: UKRI and DSIT respond to the select committee letter
- February: open letter from Ian Chapman (CEO of UKRI)
Last updated: 9 July 2026