Dr Brian Bowsher, former CEO of the National Physical Laboratory and member of STFC's Council was the last CEO of the STFC before it was subsumed into UK Research and Innovation, a division of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Receiving its funding through the science budget from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), STFC's mission is "To maximise the impact of our knowledge, skills, facilities and resources for the benefit of the United Kingdom and its people" under several heads:[2] The STFC is one of Europe's largest multidisciplinary research organisations supporting scientists and engineers worldwide.

It helps operate/provide access for UK and international scientists to the following large-scale facilities: STFC's budget is allocated annually by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

[8] STFC is active in its responsibility for knowledge exchange from government funded civil science into UKPLC.

As such, many technologies are licensed to UK companies and spin-out companies created including: However knowledge exchange activities are not purely limited to commercialization of technologies, but also cover a wider range of activities which aim to transfer expertise into the wider economy.