The UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) has earmarked £236.5 M for investment to develop large-scale research facilities and projects in its science portfolio. The investment, which was announced by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), is being made available through the UK Government’s Large Facilities Capital Fund.
The approved projects include: £30 M for a new Detector Systems Centre based jointly at the STFC’s Daresbury and Harwell Science and Innovation Campuses; £25 M for ISIS Target Station 2, STFC’s world-leading pulsed neutron and muon source facility at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory; £92.5 M for the Diamond Light Source, in which STFC has an 86 percent shareholding, for the design and construction of an additional ten beam lines; £15 M for the Square Kilometre Array to develop the first prototype phase of this next generation global radio telescope; £50 M for the Hartree Centre, an advanced computational science centre at Daresbury; and £24 M for a new Imaging Solutions Centre based at Harwell.
In collaboration with key stakeholders, STFC will now develop a detailed science and business case for each approved project for endorsement by Research Councils UK (RCUK) and submission to DIUS prior to funds being formally committed.
Commenting on the announcement, STFC’s chief executive, professor Keith Mason, said, “The announcement of £236.5 M is a major addition to STFC’s three-year investment programme of £1.906 B and will further ensure the UK remains at the forefront of international scientific research.”