A flagship scientific project that could bring Nobel Prize-winning discoveries to North Yorkshire would require extra Government funding if a UK bid is successful, ministers have said.
Alison Hume, the MP for Scarborough and Whitby, has urged the Government to reaffirm its commitment to the proposed XLZD dark matter experiment at Boulby Underground Laboratory.
The laboratory, near Whitby, is competing to host the international experiment, which aims to help scientists detect dark matter, the mysterious substance believed to make up around 85 per cent of the matter in the universe.
Raising the issue during a debate in the House of Commons last week, Ms Hume said Boulby was competing to host “a prestigious physics experiment that could deliver Nobel prize-winning discoveries in the UK”.
She said: “In the light of the Science and Technology Facilities Council cuts, can the Minister reaffirm the Government’s commitment to securing the XLZD dark matter experiment for the UK?”
Responding, science minister Chris McDonald confirmed that Government support for the laboratory remains in place until 2027-28 but said a successful bid to host XLZD would require further investment.
He told MPs: “The Government have funded the development of the laboratory that my hon. Friend describes until 2027-28; if the UK is successful, though, that would require additional funding above and beyond existing budgets.”
The minister added that increased capacity at the mine had pushed up operating costs.
“It has increased its capacity, so its rental charges have gone up, and within the scope of its existing budget, that means about half a million pounds of its £1 million operating budget has been taken forward into the £4 million overall budget it has.”
During a Westminster Hall debate last month, Ms Hume warned that planned reductions in funding for Boulby and preparatory work for XLZD could threaten a project she said would contribute an estimated £587 million to the local economy while creating highly skilled jobs and strengthening the UK’s position in scientific research.
She said at the time: “We cannot afford to turn our backs on an opportunity that could transform both scientific understanding and economic growth.”
Scientists involved in the project have argued that a successful dark matter discovery would rank among the most significant scientific breakthroughs of modern times.