FOI release

FOI2026/00582: STFC Prioritisation Activity 2026

Some or all of the information requested was not provided because we determined that the cost to do so would exceed the appropriate limit.

Case reference FOI2026/00582

Received 11 July 2026

Published 21 October 2026

Request

Request Received: 11 July 2026

I would like to request the following information held by UKRI/STFC:

1. All documentation, papers, and briefings prepared for or considered as part of the STFC prioritisation exercise conducted in 2026 (the process leading to the announced £162 million savings programme by 2029-30), including but not limited to options papers, impact assessments, and scenario/modelling documents.

2. All agendas, papers, and minutes of STFC Council and any related committee or board meetings at which the prioritisation exercise, its options, or its outcomes were discussed, from January 2026 to the date of this request.

3. For each set of minutes referred to in item 2, all draft versions produced prior to the final approved version, together with any tracked changes, revision logs, or records showing what amendments were made between drafts and by whom.

4. Any correspondence between STFC/UKRI and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) relating to the prioritisation exercise or its outcomes during the same period.

Clarification Received: 6 August and 2 September 2026

Thank you for your response and for the helpful context on the scope of the STFC prioritisation activity. I would like to refine my request as follows, focusing solely on STFC Council. I would like to request:

1. The agendas and papers [that related to and mention the prioritisation activity] for all STFC Council meetings held in 2026 to date at which the prioritisation activity, its options, or its outcomes were discussed or presented, including any recommendations submitted to Council by the Science Board (PPAN), Science Board for Facilities and Laboratories (F&L), or the cross-UKRI Strategic Facilities Advisory Group.

2. The minutes of those same Council meetings. If, having reviewed the above, it is possible to do so without exceeding the appropriate cost limit under Section 12 of the FOIA, I would also like to request:

3. Any earlier draft versions of the minutes at item 2, together with any record of substantive changes made between drafts and the final approved version.

I am not requesting correspondence between UKRI/STFC and DSIT, or documentation from the PPAN and F&L boards and their sub-committees, at this stage.

Response

Response Sent: 11 September 2026

Full details of this response are provided in the attached document.

Documents

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