Onwurah: UK research funding cuts ‘wholly unacceptable’

Forthcoming cuts to physics funding are “wholly unacceptable” and represent a “failure” for which research funders and government “must bear responsibility”, the chair of the UK Parliament’s science and technology committee has said.

In a letter to science minister Patrick Vallance and Ian Chapman, chief executive of UK Research and Innovation, Chi Onwurah says her committee was “deeply concerned” about recently announced plans to scale back research programmes for particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics (PPAN), which would be “damaging to the UK’s international reputation”.

The intervention follows Chapman’s appearance before the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee last month, in which he said that cost pressures and “extremely ambitious” assessments on how many new projects could be funded explained why the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) was seeking £162 million in savings by 2029-30.

Research project leaders in the PPAN fields had previously been asked to assess how they would manage with budget cuts of up to 70 per cent, while correspondence has also highlighted the impact of funding reforms across UKRI, in which researchers will bid for new funding streams related industrial strategy-related areas in addition to research councils.

Addressing the likely reasons for the cuts, Onwurah states: “It is not clear whether the current situation is the by-product of irresponsible financial management and inadequate governance; a conscious decision to set aside the 2009 ‘Drayson partitions’ in order to deprioritise a particular area of scientific research in favour of research facilities; an unintended consequence of wholesale, rushed reforms to the way the UK funds scientific research; or a combination of all three.”

“What is clear is that, despite your assertions to the contrary in evidence to my committee and our counterparts in the House of Lords, widespread cuts have been proposed before adequate consultation with those affected was undertaken,” she continued.

“This is wholly unacceptable and represents a failure for which DSIT [the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology], UKRI and STFC leadership must bear responsibility, and act urgently to address.”

Acknowledging Vallance’s admission that communication of the cuts has been “terrible”, Onwurah explains this “is a start, but no more than that.”

“What is needed now is swift and decisive action to win back the research community’s trust, restore the UK’s international reputation as a scientific research leader, and to prevent the next generation of research leaders from moving abroad.”

Seeking answers for 12 questions related to UKRI, Onwurah reiterates the committee’s call for more transparency about how the shake-up of funding – with budgets assigned across three “buckets” related to “curiosity-led” research, applied research and business scale-up – would work.

“Episodes such as this illustrate perfectly the need for such transparency, and willingness to be held to account,” she says.

Onwurah’s intervention was praised by Catherine Heymans, astronomer royal for Scotland, as an “amazing letter”, stating that she was “impressed” by the former Labour shadow science minister and committee. “Politics actually in action,” said Heymans.

It comes as the Medical Research Council (MRC) announced that it is reopening its curiosity driven research funding streams that have been paused since December.

Applicant-led funding opportunities will start again on 7 April, with experimental medicine opportunities opening on 30 April, the MRC said. 

Its pause in grant-giving had been seen as a possible harbinger of further cuts but UKRI insisted it was necessary as it implements its new approach to funding research. 

The MRC said it had used the pause to redesign its programmes with a greater focus on researchers working across disciplines, quicker decisions and more opportunities for scholars to participate in panel assessments. 

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com