Story perspectives

UKRI Pulls £2.8M e-MERLIN Funding, 28 Jobs Threatened

7/27/2026

Summary

Story summary

UKRI will withdraw its £2.8 million annual e-MERLIN funding at Jodrell Bank when the agreement ends in March 2028.
Observations at the site are set to cease on 1 April 2028 unless new funding is secured.
The cut puts 28 jobs at risk and will affect nearly 3,000 researchers using the facility.
Astronomer Royal Catherine Heymans called the decision “devastating” and a “real act of national self-harm”.

History

Historical Context

In 1995, the UK Science and Engineering Research Council merged into the newly formed Science and Technology Facilities Council, slashing radio-astronomy budgets by £10 million. The STFC’s 1996 budget cut eliminated 30 positions at Jodrell Bank and forced the closure of the 76-metre Lovell Telescope’s high-frequency upgrade. Today, UKRI’s decision to end £2.8 million e-MERLIN funding mirrors that earlier contraction, again jeopardising Jodrell Bank’s operations and threatening dozens of staff. Repeated under-investment risks eroding the UK’s global radio-astronomy leadership, prompting calls for a national funding framework that could diminish participation in the Square Kilometre Array.

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Story summary

UKRI will withdraw its £2.8 million annual e-MERLIN funding at Jodrell Bank when the agreement ends in March 2028.
Observations at the site are set to cease on 1 April 2028 unless new funding is secured.
The cut puts 28 jobs at risk and will affect nearly 3,000 researchers using the facility.
Astronomer Royal Catherine Heymans called the decision “devastating” and a “real act of national self-harm”.

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