UK scientists demand restoration of funding for Lovell telescope amid STFC cuts

UK Research and Innovation disclosed that the e-Merlin array, which underwrites the Lovell radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory, will be stripped of its £2.8 million yearly funding by 2028, putting the instrument at risk of closure unless alternative financing is secured. Scientists, artists and the UK poet laureate have signed an open letter urging new Prime Minister Andy Burnham to restore the money, describing the move as short-sighted.

Lovell not only probes the cosmos but also monitors human-made objects, including space debris and the historic one outlet-1 launch. While the broader Jodrell Bank campus will stay open for outreach and as the UK hub for the Square Kilometre Array, the STFC’s cuts stem from a prioritisation exercise carried out under former Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the now-defunct Department of Science, Innovation and Technology. Although UKRI’s total budget is slated to rise, most of the increase is earmarked for AI and quantum technologies, leaving STFC funding flat and prompting other facilities to seek commercial revenue. Additional cuts have also affected UK contributions to CERN’s LHCb upgrade and the US Electron-Ion Collider project.