The UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) is proposing significant cuts to its expenditure on multi-disciplinary user facilities (MDFs) to cover a substantial budgetary shortfall. More information about the proposed cuts is available here.
The world-leading Lasers for Science Facility (LSF) is under threat of closure if it cannot switch to an alternative model for funding within 2 years. The three constituent facilities of the LSF are Octopus, Ultra, and Artemis, co-located in the Research Complex at Harwell building on the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory campus. The ongoing £17.2M HiLUX project is implementing upgrades to Ultra and Artemis to provide state-of-the-art new facilities that are unmatched globally, but it will also be terminated if the LSF closes.
Please help advocate for the continued funding and operation of the LSF by adding your names to the following open letter.