UK Physics Names Funding Drop Outs

The powers that be have decreed that some ereas of physic are more equal than others. The BBC has a good summary.

The skinny is that they are giving the chop to:

• Support for the Integral space telescope and the Veritas observatory.
• Bison, an observatory network pursuing solar-terrestrial physics.
• Astrogrid, which ties together astronomy datasets for research, will also lose its financial support.
• The eMerlin radio astronomy network, based on the famous Jodrell Bank Observatory near Manchester, will get an STFC contribution but will need extra resources to continue.

The STFC said discussions with stakeholders were taking place to ensure its viability. And it added that other investments, notably in the international Square Kilometre Array project led by the University of Manchester, meant Jodrell would continue to be an important hub for radio astronomy research.

Areas considered to be a high priority for the UK include work on detecting gravitational waves, and space telescopes that image the Universe in the infrared.

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Physics names winners and losers