Glover is also concerned about potential jobs cuts at Oxfordshire’s science hubs.
“Multidisciplinary scientific research is crucial to driving economic growth. These funding cuts threaten thousands of jobs across Oxfordshire and the UK, impacting many of our constituents,” he said.
There are also fears about the impact on international relations with scientists across the world.
Russell said the cuts were a “drop in the ocean” for UKRI, but risked undermining the UK as “trusted partners in international collaboration”.
He said: “We’re talking about sciences that the UK is already a world leader and there’s plenty of research that says the funding that goes into that research and development has a massively beneficial impact on the economy.
“For every £1 spent on fundamental research we get about £8 back for the economy, so it’s actually great value to UK PLC.”
In a letter to Jonathan Reynolds, the secretary of state for business, innovation, science and trade and co-signed by Conservative and Labour MPs, Glover said the cuts threaten world leading scientific research and job opportunities for young people.
“Ultimately, our scientific leadership on the world stage, higher education sector and skills pipeline are all currently at risk of being irreparably damaged. Now is the time to prevent that from happening,” he said.
A government spokesperson said: “We are not cutting the STFC budget: it is remaining flat over the course of the current spending review.
“To ensure we can drive research that delivers real impact for the public, we are funding R&D at record levels, including £38.6bn invested in UKRI over the coming years.
“UKRI is responsible for taking specific funding decisions, but we are committed to working to ensure the UK sustains its world-leading research capabilities.”