Technology | 2010.08.27
Cuts put Britain's science reputation on the line | Geoff Brumfiel
Withdrawing Britain from projects such as the Large Hadron Collider is not just an economic matter – it\'s a people one, too
There\'s no doubt that Britain is going to feel like a very different place in about two month\'s time. As part of managing the deficit, the coalition government is calling for big cuts at the next comprehensive spending review, scheduled for 20 October.
Among the thousands of programmes that might end up cut are giant observatories in Chile and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the enormous particle accelerator in Switzerland that hasn\'t destroyed the world. These projects are too big to be undertaken by the UK alone, so Britain collaborated with the rest of the world to build them. Given the hard times ahead, and the fact that these facilities aren\'t on British soil, there is undoubtedly a temptation to pull out. But such a move would cost Britain a lot more than the money it would save.
First a little context. The government is asking the research councils to look at possible scenarios for deep spending cuts. There\'s one council in particular looks set to take it in the teeth: the Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC).
The STFC manages the UK\'s part in the big projects mentioned above, as well as several smaller facilities closer to home. Since it was formed 2007, it has never really had the money to do its job. It\'s made cuts already, but now the government wants to cut STFC still more. As a result, the council is faced some very tough choices. It may have to withdraw from an international project like the LHC , or close a domestic facility built with taxpayers\' money. "We shouldn\'t assume anything is off the table," we\'re told.
The budget is not yet final and over the next month, scientists involved with particle accelerators and telescopes will make the case to the Treasury that the STFC is worth protecting. They\'ve been primed by management at the council to think in the manner of a green-visored actuary: provide cost-benefit analysis, show return on investment. Prove you\'re worth it.
Physicists being physicists, have taken this quite literally. They\'re busy working on analysis to show the value of the technologies they\'ve developed and the spinoffs that have resulted. And it\'s true: If you ever want to build a 26,659 metre, perfectly circular, superconducting power cable, then you could learn a lot from the LHC.
Before the commenters strike, yes, I know that particle physics has led to many wonderful things, including the internet . But I fear that scientists might miss out on the most important part of the equation: the people.
Every time I visit one of these giant experiments or big international observatories, I\'m struck by how they seem to act as giant magnets for some of the brightest people the world over. Researchers from India, China, Russia, Iran, you name it; they all converge on these international facilities like the LHC, because it is the biggest and best place to do this kind of science.
At present, British boffins are commonplace at the particle accelerator and other facilities the world over. There\'s an intangible value to this participation: it allows the brightest Britain has to offer to compete on the world stage and shows the UK is an educated, forward-looking nation (there\'s a reason that the scientists in Hollywood thrillers have mandatory, if poorly impersonated, British accents). The partnerships that are forged strengthen ties in business and diplomacy, as well as science.
Unfortunately, it\'s unclear whether that can continue in the age of austerity. Already the STFC has had to pull out of the Gemini observatory , a pair of twin telescopes it helped to build, which are among the best in the world. If heavy cuts strike the council this fall, then something else will have to give.
Hopefully scientists can convince the Treasury that particle accelerators are economically productive things to undertake in their own right. If they cannot, I fear that much more is at stake than these scientist\'s next data set. Britain\'s very reputation is on the line.
For more information, please visit
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/[...]science-reputation-on-the-line
