Science and Technology Facilities Council

History

STFC was formed in April 2007 when the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC), the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC), along with the nuclear physics activities of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) were brought under the one umbrella organisation. The organisation's first Chief Executive was Professor Keith Mason, who held the position until 2011, when he was replaced by Professor John Womersley.

Womersley was the CEO until 2016 when he left to become Director General of the European Spallation Source. Dr Brian Bowsher, former CEO of the National Physical Laboratory and member of STFC's Council was the last CEO of the STFC before it was subsumed into UK Research and Innovation. In 2018, Professor Mark Thomson was appointed as the first Executive Chair of STFC under UKRI. Professor Michele Dougherty took over in 2025.

Purpose

STFC's mission is "To maximise the impact of our knowledge, skills, facilities and resources for the benefit of the United Kingdom and its people" under several heads:

• Universities: the STFC supports university-based research, innovation and skills development in particle physics, nuclear physics, space science and astronomy.
• Scientific Facilities: They provide access to world-leading, large-scale facilities across a range of physical and life sciences, enabling research, innovation and skills.
• National Campuses: Working with partners to build National Science and Innovation Campuses based around National Laboratories to promote academic and industrial collaboration and translation of research to market through direct interaction with industry.
• Inspiring and Involving: STFC help create a future pipeline of skilled and enthusiastic young people by using the excitement of our sciences to encourage wider take-up of STEM subjects in school and future life (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

Activities

The STFC is one of Europe's largest multidisciplinary research organisations supporting scientists and engineers worldwide. Through research fellowships and grants, it is responsible for funding research in UK universities, in the fields of astronomy, particle physics, nuclear physics and space science. The STFC operates its own world-class, large-scale research facilities, such as materials research, laser and space science and alternative energy exploration, and provides strategic advice to the UK government on their development.

It manages international research projects in support of a broad cross-section of the UK research community and directs, coordinates and funds research, education and training. It is a partner in the UK Space Agency (formerly British National Space Centre or BNSC) providing about 40% of the UK government's expenditure in space science and technology.

Facilities

It helps operate/provide access for UK and international scientists to the following large-scale facilities:

• Central Laser Facility (CLF) at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
• CERN
• DiRAC Distributed Research using Advanced Computing (Supercomputing facility)
• The space science and space exploration programmes of ESA
• European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)
• Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL)
• Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes (ING), La Palma
• ISIS pulsed neutron and muon source at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
• Diamond Light Source, operating on STFC's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory site
• :(Diamond is also partly funded by the Wellcome Trust.)
• UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Edinburgh
• Microelectronics Support Centre (MSC) at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
• The Hartree Centre for high performance computing and data analytics at Daresbury Laboratory
• ALICE (accelerator), EMMA (accelerator), CLARA and VELA at Daresbury Laboratory
• The LHC Computing Grid (through its funding of the GridPP project)
• Boulby underground laboratories
• Advanced LIGO

Knowledge exchange obligations

STFC is active in its responsibility for knowledge exchange from government funded civil science into UKPLC. As such, many technologies are licensed to UK companies and spin-out companies created including:

• L3 Technology (L3T);
• Microvisk;
• Orbital Optics Ltd;
• Oxsensis;
• PETRRA;
• Quantum Detectors;
• ThruVision.

However knowledge exchange activities are not purely limited to commercialization of technologies, but also cover a wider range of activities which aim to transfer expertise into the wider economy.

References

References

1. "UK Research and Innovation Annual Report and Accounts 2024–25".
2. {{Cite legislation UK. (2017)
3. House of Commons Science and Technology Committee. (2007). "Office of Science and Innovation: Scrutiny Report 2005 and 2006".
4. (1 March 2025). "Executive Chair for STFC Appointed". UKRI.
5. (September 2010). "STFC Corporate Strategy 2010 – 2020". STFC.
6. "House of Commons - Astronomy and Particle Physics: Government and Science and Technology Facilities Council Responses to the Committee's Fourth Report of - Science and Technology Committee".
7. "Science & Technology Facilities Council {{!}} Sci-Tech Daresbury".
8. "stfc {{!}} BU Research Blog".
9. (2007). "A Route to the Brightest Possible Neutron Source?". Science.
10. "UK Team looking for ripples in Space". STFC.