PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(2 September 2026)

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the budget allocations made by the Science and Technology Facilities Council in the area of astronomy and space science, and if he will make a statement.

Asked by:
Dame Harriett Baldwin (Conservative)

The Government is committed to maintaining a world-leading astronomy and space science programme. The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), as part of UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), has recently completed an evidence-based prioritisation exercise to ensure its portfolio remains financially sustainable and focused on the highest-priority scientific opportunities.

The outcome is a focused portfolio built around the world's most ambitious astronomy facilities such as the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (which will be headquartered in the UK at Jodrell Bank) and the European Southern Observatory, ensuring UK scientists remain at the forefront of international collaboration and major discoveries in astronomy. The portfolio also protects key research capability, including PhD studentships and fellowships and protects funding for grant-funded postdoctoral researchers in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics at 2025/26 levels. STFC will also continue to operate world-leading facilities that support space science such as RAL Space, the UK’s National Space Laboratory.

Alongside this, the UK Space Agency, which has been allocated a £2.8 billion budget over the Spending Review period, will support the scientific missions, technologies and capabilities that enable UK researchers and industry to participate in cutting-edge international space science. Together, these investments will ensure that the UK remains a leading global centre for astronomy and space science research and discovery.

Answered by:
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