New Cavendish Laboratory

The Cavendish Laboratory is getting a new building to replace its ageing, overcrowded facilities. This matters because the Cavendish is not just a university department — it is a national resource for UK physics. For decades, it has produced world-changing discoveries, from the electron to the structure of DNA. But its current infrastructure is no longer fit for purpose. The new laboratory will provide modern, flexible spaces for experimental physics that the current building cannot support. It will also open its doors to researchers from across the UK, offering fellowships, collaborations, and access to equipment that most physics departments cannot afford on their own. If this succeeds, the Cavendish will continue to produce fundamental science — research driven by curiosity about how the universe works, not by immediate commercial goals. Much of the technology that underpins modern life, from medical imaging to semiconductor electronics, emerged from this kind of fundamental physics. The new building does not guarantee a specific breakthrough, but it ensures that the conditions for future discoveries remain in place. Without it, the UK risks losing its ability to train the next generation of physicists and to compete in the global research landscape.