Live Decisions of Congress 2026

Motion 39

Royal Observatory Edinburgh & UKATC

“That this Congress notes that for more than 200 years, the Royal Observatory Edinburgh, now home to the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UKATC) and the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Astronomy, has been a cornerstone of global astronomy and space science. It delivers world-class research, instrumentation, and public engagement for Scotland and the UK. UKATC is the UK’s national centre of excellence for astronomical instrumentation, leading delivery of key systems for major international facilities such as the James Webb Space Telescope, the European Southern Observatory, the European Space Agency, and the SKA Observatory. It supports high skill jobs, apprenticeships, and supply chains in Scotland.

“Congress further notes recent and planned UK Government research and innovation budget decisions, implemented through the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), amounting to real terms cuts to curiosity-driven, foundational research and to national laboratories and institutes. This places specialist sites such as the Royal Observatory Edinburgh and UKATC at particular risk. Such cuts directly threaten high ?quality scientific and technical employment, weaken Scotland’s leading role in major international collaborations, and diminish opportunities for schools, students, and communities to engage with cutting ?edge science.

“Congress therefore calls on the:

• UK Government, UKRI, and STFC to provide sustainable, real ?terms protected funding for curiosity ?driven research, national laboratories and research institutes, and explicitly to safeguard the long?term future of the Royal Observatory Edinburgh and UKATC;
• General Council to work with affiliated unions, the Scottish Government, universities, and civil society to campaign for a long-term research and innovation strategy. This strategy secures high-quality jobs, skills pipelines, and public engagement at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh and comparable facilities in Scotland; and
• General Council to support union members at UKATC, STFC, and related institutions in organising collectively, including through coordinated bargaining and political campaigning, to defend jobs and shape decisions on the future of the site.”

 Mover: Prospect