Jodrell Bank, a historic radio astronomy facility in Cheshire that has operated since 1945, faces shutdown as the Science and Technology Facilities Council plans to withdraw funding in March 2028. The observatory, which hosts the Lovell telescope and anchors the e-Merlin network of seven radio telescopes representing the UK’s primary radio astronomy capability, has made significant contributions to cosmic science, from detecting neutron stars to observing matter around supermassive black holes.
The threatened closure is part of broader cuts affecting UK physics research. Multiple international astronomical collaborations will see reduced British participation, including a 20% reduction in work on the Rubin observatory in Chile and withdrawal from the Event Horizon Telescope, which produced the first image of a black hole. Other facilities facing cuts include the Bison solar observation network, the Clara particle accelerator testing facility in Cheshire, and the Boulby mine underground science facility. The LHCb experiment at the Large Hadron Collider may terminate early due to lack of funding.
The STFC cited the need to save £162m by 2030, citing cost pressures from electricity, staff expenses, and foreign exchange rates for international collaborations like CERN. Internal forecasts suggest the combined cost overrun could reach £684m over the government’s current spending review period. Despite these constraints, the council plans to prioritize specific research areas.
The cuts raise concerns about brain drain from UK science. A recent survey found that nearly 80% of early-career physicists were considering leaving the country following the funding crisis. Scientific leadership warn that top researchers will relocate to countries offering better opportunities, potentially undermining UK science and economic growth unless the funding situation changes.
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