Memorandum submitted by Professor Jon
Billowes (FC 06)
I am writing as Head of the nuclear physics
group, University of Manchester and as Director of Education,
Dalton Nuclear Institute. I am involved in nuclear skills education
and training. I am course director for the NTEC MSc in Nuclear
Science & Technology (a consortium of 12 UK universities),
and PI for the Nuclear Industrial Doctorate Centre (involving
eight universities). I served on the panel for EPSRC/STFC Review
of Nuclear Physics and Nuclear Engineering (2009).
1. I write to draw the Committee's attention
to the EPSRC/STFC Review of Nuclear Physics and Nuclear Engineering
(2009) chaired by Dr Sue Ion (attached to the email version).
This contains a recent analysis of the skills and expertise relevant
to future economic impact in nuclear-related areas and on the
ability of the scope and volume of the current nuclear physics
and nuclear engineering activity to deliver these skills and expertise.
A particular comment (made in advance of STFC's most recent 29%
cut in nuclear physics funding, announced on 16th December) was
that "recent funding cuts had damaged the UK's nuclear physics
community and that the size of the community now meant it was
extremely vulnerable. It was recognised that financial pressures
have an adverse effect on the ability of the nuclear physics community
to realise its potential in economic impact areas. It was felt
that further funding cuts could be terminal, resulting in the
loss of an important skill set which would impact the delivery
of Master courses." At a time when every UK nuclear skills
analysis emphasizes the critical need for a trained nuclear workforce
for the future energy programme (including the report by the Innovation
Science & Skills Committee on nuclear engineering—HC
50-1, 27 March 2009), STFC is marching in the opposite direction,
with no regard for UK future strategy, by making deep and disproportionate
cuts to UK nuclear physics funding.
2. Recent comparative figures (attached
to email) about to be released by NuPNET (network of European
nuclear physics funding agencies—an ERANET funded by the
EU under FP7) show that the UK funding is well behind that of
Poland, Romania and Spain. The most recent STFC cut pushes the
UK below Bulgaria. The UK neither hosts any major facility for
nuclear physics research, nor makes any significant contribution
to the overseas laboratories at which the UK research programme
is conducted. The UK will now be forced to withdraw from international
nuclear physics projects; there will be a cut in PhD studentships
(we don't know yet to what level); and an inevitable reduction
in post-doctoral opportunities in the UK. Quite apart from the
impact a smaller nuclear community will have on nuclear education
at undergraduate and Masters level, there will be a significant
reduction people with higher-level specialist nuclear skills.
EUROPEAN FUNDING FOR NP (NuPNET)
| Country Funding |
(MEuro) | Tenured Physicists
| Total Physicists | Tech/Engineers
| |
| Belgium | 7.6 | 38.0
| 133.0 | 21.0 |
|
| Bulgaria | 6.8 | 28.0
| 52.0 | 9.0 |
|
| Czech Republic | 5.3 | 16.0
| 75.0 | 12.0 |
|
| Germany | 200.0 | 330.0
| 1,100.0 | 500.0 |
|
| Spain | 21.0 | 119.0
| 215.0 | 15.0 |
|
| Finland | 5.3 | 24.0
| 120.0 | 25.0 |
|
| France | 87.5 | 351.0
| 488.0 | 566.0 |
|
| Greece | 2.3 | 35.0
| 55.0 | 15.0 |
|
| Hungary | 3.1 | 59.0
| 87.0 | 26.0 |
|
| Italy | 64.8 | 354.0
| 628.0 | 295.0 |
|
| Netherlands | 9.7 | 31.0
| 78.0 | 55.0 |
|
| Poland | 14.5 | 203.0
| 441.0 | 109.0 |
|
| Romania | 19.5 | 213.0
| 340.0 | 85.0 |
|
| UK | 11.7 | 63.0
| 228.0 | 31.0 |
|
| Notes: | |
| | | |
Total Physicists = Tenured + Fixed term + PhD students
January 2010
|
