Committee publication · Correspondence · 22 April 2026
Correspondence from Dr Paula Collins, CERN, re: Scientific research funding, 28 March 2026
From: Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
Inquiry: Scientific research funding
Summary
Dr Paula Collins, Deputy Spokesperson Designate of the LHCb collaboration at CERN and a UK national, expresses dismay at the UK's apparent withdrawal of funding for the LHCb Upgrade II. She argues the decision was non-transparent, lacks competitive process clarity, and risks damaging UK scientific leadership, technological development pipelines, international reputation, and the success of the High Luminosity LHC project at a critical construction phase.
Key findings
- The UK funding withdrawal for LHCb Upgrade II was announced abruptly without warning or consultation, and no explanation of selection criteria was provided to the collaboration
- UK physicists hold disproportionate leadership positions in LHCb due to decades of focused particle physics investment; withdrawal undermines this established strategic advantage
- The decision creates immediate risk of project delays and cost overruns during the critical construction phase of the High Luminosity LHC, contradicting the CERN Director General's priority to maintain schedule
- UK expertise in hybrid pixel detector technology has generated documented returns of several hundred million pounds in industrial turnover; severing participation risks breaking the training pipeline that attracts students
- Withdrawal signals unreliability as an international partner and is particularly damaging timing given the appointment of the first UK national CERN Director General in 30 years
Tone
CriticalTopics
Key actors
Dr Paula Collins, Dame Chi Onwurah, CERN, LHCb collaboration, UKRI, Minister for Science, Research, Innovation and Nuclear, Professor Chapman, Lord Vallance, CERN Director General
Notable line
“… a withdrawal of the UK from the LHCb Upgrade Phase II programme would severely undermine the nation's reputation as a reliable international partner”
Key Quotes
“This decision was not, however, transparent in the context of any competitive process; we on LHCb do not know what criteria were used”
“… in order to make the next breakthrough in particle physics, we need to attack the problem from different sides simultaneously, or else major discoveries may slip through our fingers”
“This announcement from UKRI is one of the most damaging interventions imaginable at this critical phase for the experiment to stay on track”
“Once severed, I am not sure it can be repaired”
“… industrial turnover linked to CERN technologies is typically several times larger than the initial contracts, making figures in the several hundred million plausible”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗