Signals are grim for Jodrell Bank Observatory after UK science funding decision - The Register

What the report says

The Register reports that Jodrell Bank Observatory’s role in UK radio astronomy is facing uncertainty after UK Research and Innovation decided to end support for e-MERLIN from 2028 unless replacement funding is found. The site, operated with links to the University of Manchester, hosts the Lovell Telescope, the 250-foot steerable radio dish that forms part of the e-MERLIN network of telescopes across England.

According to the report, the decision comes as the UK’s Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear Physics budget is set to fall by 2.7 percent over four years while operating costs rise. Professor Michele Dougherty, executive chair of the Science and Technology Facilities Council, said difficult decisions were required. Other affected programmes include future UK support for the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii and reduced planning assumptions for the Birmingham Solar Oscillations Network.

Reaction from the astronomy community has been critical. Royal Astronomical Society president Professor Jim Wild called the move damaging for UK astronomy, while Professor Brian Cox of the University of Manchester blamed earlier UKRI decisions and a lack of consultation. A Jodrell Bank spokesperson said the cuts to e-MERLIN were substantial but stressed that the observatory remains an important scientific, cultural and local economic centre, with efforts planned to secure the future of both e-MERLIN and the Lovell Telescope.

The funding currently runs until 2028, giving campaigners and partners limited time to seek alternatives. The issue matters beyond one facility: Jodrell Bank is a historic UK science landmark, and the Lovell Telescope has been associated with major space-era work for decades.