Jodrell Bank Faces Closure After UKRI e-Merlin Cut
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- UK Research and Innovation announced it will withdraw funding for the e-Merlin network at Jodrell Bank Observatory when the current agreement ends in March 2028, effectively ending observations at the facility unless alternative funding is found.
- The cuts threaten 28 jobs at Jodrell Bank directly and affect nearly 3,000 researchers who work with the facility, while the wider Science and Technology Facilities Council portfolio faces about 800 job losses across dozens of hit facilities, instruments and projects.
- Jodrell Bank Observatory houses the Grade I-listed Lovell telescope and supports research on galaxies, black holes, star formation, exoplanets, and the afterglow of the big bang, per the source.
- Other facilities hit by Monday's announcement include a 20% cut to UK participation in the Rubin Observatory in Chile, a 45% cut to the Next-Generation Transit Survey, complete defunding for future instruments on the Extremely Large Telescope, and UK withdrawal from the Event Horizon Telescope that imaged the Milky Way's central black hole.
- The cuts stem from the Science and Technology Facilities Council needing substantial savings after cost overruns tied to soaring electricity and staff costs and unfavorable foreign exchange rates for international collaborations including Cern, despite UKRI's annual budget of nearly £10bn.
- Brian Cox said he was "astonished" UKRI pressed ahead with cuts rather than working with the new government, while Prof Simon Garrington, an associate director at Jodrell Bank, plans to challenge the decision and is exploring satellite and space-debris tracking as a possible alternative funding stream.
Why it matters: Pulling e-Merlin funding removes the financial backbone of Jodrell Bank by March 2028, directly threatening 28 on-site jobs and undermining work by nearly 3,000 researchers. The package compounds across the STFC portfolio: a 20% pullback from the Rubin Observatory, a 45% cut to the Next-Generation Transit Survey, and UK withdrawal from the Event Horizon Telescope collectively unwind multi-decade international partnerships the UK helped build, all triggered by STFC's electricity, staffing and Cern-related cost overruns.
