Pioneering astronomy research at Jodrell Bank Observatory and potential new deep space discoveries will end within just 20 months unless new funding can urgently be secured. New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been challenged to prove his commitment to the north by stepping in to reverse budget cuts for the world-renowned scientific facility.
Funding cut announcement
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) announced on Monday that funding for e-Merlin – worth around £2.8m per year – is to end. The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), part of UKRI, said the network of radio telescopes is 'not prioritised for further funding'. The budget for particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics (PPAN) will be cut by 2.7% over four years.
The University of Manchester, which manages the observatory, said the funding cut would mean the end of the Lovell Telescope as an 'active scientific instrument for radio astronomy' by March 2028 and the loss of 28 jobs employed by the e-Merlin grant. It is estimated that around 3,000 scientists could be affected in total in a knock-on effect.
Political reaction
Greater Manchester MP Graham Stringer, who sat on the Government's Science and Technology Select Committee for 15 years, told the Manchester Evening News he was 'outraged' by the decision. The Labour MP for Blackley and Middleton South said he believes funding for 'curiosity-driven research' is being subjected to wholesale cuts.
Mr Stringer said: "This was a mistaken policy from Keir Starmer's regime. I would expect Andy Burnham to reverse this decision. To lose Jodrell Bank, which is a symbol of science excellence in the north of the country, would undermine his policy to rebalance up the United Kingdom." He added: "Jodrell Bank has to be saved. It has to be saveable if No 10 in the North and rebalancing the country – Andy Burnham's projects – are to survive. It's the first test of his promise."
Macclesfield MP Tim Roca, whose constituency hosts the observatory, acknowledged people would be 'concerned'. He said he was in 'active discussions' with the funding body and the university to 'fully understand the implications' and to 'make the case for protecting this world-leading scientific institution'. "It is important to stress that Jodrell Bank is not closing and scientific work at the site will continue," the MP said in a statement. "Current funding for e-Merlin astronomy is in place until 2028, and alternative funding options and new opportunities are being explored."
Impact on the Lovell Telescope
Professor Sarah Sharples, Vice President and Dean of Science and Engineering at the University of Manchester, explained that the much-loved visitor centre is a 'separate organisation' within the Jodrell Bank site and is not affected. However, the ending of e-Merlin funding means that unless alternative funding is found, from the end of March 2028, the university will not be able to maintain the Lovell Telescope as a working radio facility.
"The thing that has been removed as funding is the funding of maintenance of the Lovell Telescope as an active scientific instrument for radio astronomy," Prof Sharples told the M.E.N. "There are 28 people who are employed by the e-Merlin grant and the e-Merlin grant funds an array of telescopes. The Lovell Telescope is the lead." She noted that the educational visitor centre alone generates £4.7m a year in economic impact, and the university is working to 'find alternative sources of funding from government, from industry, from charities, from philanthropy'.
STFC statement
Professor Michele Dougherty, executive chair of STFC, said: "After listening to our community we have protected core discovery research within PPAN, through a more focused portfolio that safeguards postdoctoral researchers, protects PhD opportunities and maintains the UK’s international leadership. However, the situation does require some tough, but necessary, decisions which we have outlined today." She added that the plan aims to bring STFC to a sustainable financial position by 2029/30.
A spokesperson for the University of Manchester said: "While these cuts to e-Merlin's funding are significant, Jodrell Bank remains a major scientific, cultural and economic centre nationally and for the local area. We will be looking at the implications of this news carefully and working with our partners to secure the future of the Lovell telescope and e-Merlin."
