Further Cuts at the STFC

Following on from the news that their current awards would be time-limited, the STFC has announced further cuts and a retreat from expensive, long-term commitments overseas. In an attempt to block the £40m hole in its budget, the Council announced yesterday that it would be withdrawing from 24 projects, totalling some £115m over 5 years, including the Gemini telescopes, the NLS, and UKIRT. Elsewhere, physicists and astronomers should expect a 25% cut in studentships and fellowships and a 10% cut in grants next year.

Not that you would immediately get this from their press release which, to put it mildly, accentuates the positive.