The Royal Astronomical Society welcomes the uplift to the public sector research budget announced by the UK Government.
Allocations for 2020 to 2021 were announced by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) at the end of May.
UK Research and Innovation, which includes the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC – covering astronomy and space science) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC – covering geophysics), will see its budget rise from £7.04 billion for 2019-20 to £8.447 billion for this year.
The UK Space Agency will see a budget increase from £446 million to £547 million over the same timeframe.
RAS President-elect Professor Emma Bunce commented:
“Additional investment by the government in science sends a positive message about the value of research. I very much welcome this increase, which recognises the world-leading work of UK scientists in all disciplines.
‘The details of the allocations do of course matter, and we will continue to press for a fair settlement for fundamental research, including astronomy, space science and geophysics.”
Media contacts
Dr Robert Massey
Royal Astronomical Society
Tel: +44 (0)20 7292 3979
Mob: +44 (0)7802 877 699
press@ras.ac.uk
Dr Morgan Hollis
Royal Astronomical Society
Mob: +44 (0)7802 877 700
press@ras.ac.uk
Notes for editors
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), founded in 1820, encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. The RAS organises scientific meetings, publishes international research and review journals, recognises outstanding achievements by the award of medals and prizes, maintains an extensive library, supports education through grants and outreach activities and represents UK astronomy nationally and internationally. Its more than 4,400 members (Fellows), a third based overseas, include scientific researchers in universities, observatories and laboratories as well as historians of astronomy and others.
In 2020 the RAS is 200 years old. The Society is celebrating its bicentennial anniversary with a series of events around the UK, including public lectures, exhibitions, an organ recital, a pop-up planetarium, and the culmination of the RAS 200: Sky & Earth project.
Follow the RAS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
Download the RAS Podcast from Audioboom