World-leading UK science facilities at risk amid £162m funding crisis

A beamline inside the Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire, which allows scientists to engage in specialised study of materials. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

The ISIS facility uses neutrons and more exotic subatomic particles called muons to explore how materials work. It is used by thousands of scientists and engineers to study pharmaceuticals, batteries, solar cells, hydrogen storage materials and components for trains, planes and automobiles. The facility has been running at 80% capacity for the past two years because of existing cost pressures and has lost 10% of staff, most of whom have not been replaced.

“What is unique about neutron scattering is the breadth of the community it supports, spanning physics, chemistry, materials science, engineering and industry,” said Dr Lucy Clark, an associate professor of materials chemistry at the University of Birmingham and the chair of the UK Neutron Scattering Group.

“Different instruments provide different scientific capabilities, enabling entirely different areas of research. If particular instruments were no longer available, the consequence would not simply be fewer experiments – it would mean losing capability for whole sections of the research community.”

Dr Andrew McCluskey, a senior lecturer at the University of Bristol, who uses the Diamond Light Source and the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, said the breadth of science conducted at the facilities was “wild”.

He said: “If ISIS or Diamond close beamlines, which are specialised in a particular area of science, what happens in two, three or five years’ time when it turns out that technique is the thing we need to solve the next crisis that we’re facing?”

Prof John Womersley, a former chief executive of the STFC, said the closure of a facility was possible. “It’s certainly on the table, because the scale of budget crisis is hard to address with a salami-slicing approach,” he said. “It’s a tough decision for that one area, but it enables you to maintain the quality of activity in all the other areas.”

The problem, he said, is that if a facility is shut down because of salaries and electricity costs it creates an international impression about the UK’s attitude to big science facilities, which could take years to repair. “It seems like you’re selling your second home because the price of milk has gone up,” he said.

When asked if any STFC facilities would close or be mothballed, an STFC spokesperson said: “No decisions have been made about any area of the work of STFC at this time.

“The prioritisation exercise STFC is currently undertaking across all areas of our work is looking at where we can make efficiencies in the running of STFC to make us financially sustainable. The exercise is still ongoing and decisions should be shared in the autumn.”