Jodrell Bank Observatory facing closure after major funder cuts support

Scientists say decision is blow to UK astronomy as deep space observatory is home to world-leading facilities

Jodrell Bank Observatory, the hub of a world-leading network of radio telescopes, is facing closure after government funding for the facility was slashed.

The deep space observatory includes the Grade I-listed Lovell telescope and is prized by astronomers who study galaxies, black holes, star formation, planets beyond the solar system and the afterglow of the big bang.

The observatory’s funder, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), said on Monday it would withdraw funding for the e-Merlin network, the UK’s national radio astronomy facility at Jodrell Bank, when the current agreement ends in March 2028.

Scientists said the decision was a blow to UK astronomy, with observations at Jodrell Bank due to end completely unless other funding is found. “Jodrell has been delivering spectacular discovery science for decades,” said Prof Catherine Heymans, Scotland’s astronomer royal. “To see this world-leading facility cut is just devastating.”

Further deep cuts were announced for dozens of facilities, instruments and projects, which are expected to result in about 800 job losses. Brian Cox, the TV scientist and professor at the University of Manchester, said he was stunned that the funder had pressed ahead with cuts and not worked with the new government to avoid them.

“These devastating and irreversible cuts are a legacy from a series of hasty and ill-considered decisions taken by UKRI, overseen by a government department that no longer exists,” Cox said. “I am astonished that UKRI are still ploughing ahead, and not working with the [Andy] Burnham government to find a solution.”

The UKRI has an annual budget of nearly £10bn, but the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), which it funds, needs to make substantial savings after cost overruns as a result of soaring electricity and staff costs at UK facilities and high foreign exchange rates for international collaborations, such as the Cern nuclear research laboratory near Geneva.

Prof Simon Garrington, an associate director of the Jodrell Bank Observatory, said staff were shocked by the decision. “Withdrawing the funding from e-Merlin effectively pulls the rug out from under Jodrell Bank,” he said. The move threatens 28 jobs at the observatory and will affect nearly 3,000 researchers who work with the facility.

Garrington intends to challenge the decision but hopes that new uses for the telescope in tracking satellites and space debris might draw in some alternative funding.

Jodrell Bank was among dozens of facilities, instruments and projects hit by the cuts on Monday. There will be a 20% cut to UK participation in the Rubin Observatory in Chile, which only began work last month to capture the largest astronomical movie of all time. Another telescope, the Next-Generation Transit Survey, which is searching for solar systems similar to the Earth’s, received a 45% cut.

The Royal Astronomical Society president, Prof Jim Wild, said: “At a time when technological innovation is crucial to our country’s prospects, discarding unique, globally significant observatories threatens both our scientific future and the inspiration of future generations of astronomers.”

In further cuts, funding for future instruments on the Extremely Large Telescope in Chile, which is searching for life elsewhere, has been completely cut. The UK will also withdraw from the Event Horizon Telescope that allowed astronomers to image the black hole at the heart of the Milky Way.

Sue Ferns at the Prospect trade union, said: “Jodrell Bank is not just an iconic site in UK science in the north-west of England, it is a facility that underpins our world leading research capabilities. Closing it would be a tragedy that undermines the mission for the UK to be a science superpower …

“This is just the tip of the iceberg of a programme of cuts that is set to devastate UK public sector science and cost many scientists their jobs. The new government, with its focus on regional growth, must reconsider before irreparable harm is done.

A spokesperson for the STFC said the body had “undertaken a rigorous prioritisation process to focus investment on the areas that will deliver the greatest long-term scientific capability, impact and value for the UK”.

They added that the decision to withdraw funding from e-Merlin was “the result of a comprehensive, evidence-based prioritisation process. As part of this, STFC is focusing investment on the areas that will deliver the greatest long-term scientific capability and value, including the next generation of world-leading radio astronomy facilities.”