We need a credible plan for science funding in the UK | Letters

Prof Ruben Saakyan and Prof Sheila Rowan respond to Prof Charlotte Deane of UK Research and Innovation

If the UK’s position in quantum computing is indeed a success story of long-term investment in fundamental science, as Prof Charlotte Deane argues (Letters, 25 March), it makes the current UK Research and Innovation approach, particularly to Science and Technology Facilities Council funding, all the more perplexing.

No one disputes the need for prioritisation. The community understands that choices must be made and supports doing so responsibly. But what is happening now is neither measured nor strategic. Reforms are being rushed through without clarity or proper consultation. Programmes such as the Quantum Technologies for Fundamental Physics initiative make this concrete. QTFP was a clear success, rigorously reviewed and widely recognised for linking fundamental science to emerging technologies. Its abrupt discontinuation has already resulted in the loss of dozens of early-career researchers trained in a strategically important area. Yet no vision has been set out for what replaces it; nor has there been any meaningful consultation on how such crucial cross-disciplinary programmes should be organised.