At the beginning of the month, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) was formed as a merger between the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils and the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council. The STFC hopes to provide strategic leadership and a cohesive approach to UK investments in large national and international research facilities. The newly formed council has a diverse technology portfolio, including lasers for analytical instruments, nuclear physics and synchrotron radiation, and will be responsible for administering the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire and the Daresbury Laboratory in Cheshire. The STFC has a budget of approximately £500 million ($987.4 million).

Source: The Science and Technology Facilities Council