Conclusion 30

UKRI acknowledges that the cost of maintaining UKRI’s own research infrastructure is also unaffordable.65 Large parts of its estate are ageing and in poor condition; many buildings have structural problems or issues with asbestos. Overall, around 45% of the STFC’s estate is in an unacceptable state. More widely, STFC faces particularly significant budget challenges.66 When asked about the consequences of this maintenance backlog, STFC acknowledged that it is stopping researchers from running some experiments.67 Our concerns with STFC infrastructure is that it is been allowed to deteriorate over a number of years. It is unreasonable for it to be restored immediately and cuts to be made to valuable programmes in order to do so.