The Royal Observatory Edinburgh, first opened in 1896 on the capital’s Blackford Hill, has been at the forefront of world-class space research in the UK.

The observatory is home to the UK Astronomy Technology Centre, along with the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Astronomy, and is widely recognised as a cornerstone of global astronomy and space science.

The James Webb telescope (Image: PA)

It has had major involvement in projects such as the James Webb telescope, which launched in 2021 and has provided the most detailed images ever captured of the universe.

But proposed cuts in the UK Government research and innovation budget, which is implemented through the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), have put the centre at “particular risk”, trade unions have warned.

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Delegates at the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) annual congress – a meeting of hundreds of delegates from Scotland’s largest trade union body, taking place in Dundee until Wednesday – have raised concerns over the devastating impact “real terms cuts” could have on the centre.

A motion expressing concern over the future of the site, which was put forward by the Prospect trade union, was passed by delegates on Monday afternoon.

It calls on the UK Government, the UKRI and the STFC to provide “sustainable, real terms protected funding for curiosity driven research, national laboratories and research institutes”, and specifically to safeguard the long term future of the Royal Observatory.

It is understood that no final decisions on cuts have been made, with confirmation expected in the autumn, although unions have said the plans could see spending on national laboratories slashed by 15%, and project grants by 30%.

An STFC spokesperson said: “STFC is currently in the middle of an organisation wide prioritisation exercise to ascertain how we will best invest our new budget for the four years to 29/30 across our campuses in the UK, our investment in to curiosity driven research in particle physics, astronomy and fundamental nuclear physics research and across the subscriptions and investments we undertake on behalf of the UK to support major international scientific projects including the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the European Southern Observatory network of telescopes, the Square Kilometre Array Organisation radio telescope project and many more.

“For STFC as part of UKRI, support for curiosity driven research is protected across the SR period, following a record budget settlement. Curiosity driven research will continue to comprise around 50% of investment, with the other half supporting applied research and innovative companies as we deliver the UKRI mission to advance knowledge, improve lives and drive growth.

“STFC’s budget faces particular pressures due to its growing cost base – factors include inflation and higher operating and staffing costs. STFC is now working to make sure its budget is balanced and sustainable. This is the responsible approach to take, and involves making savings across the entire portfolio.”

The spokesperson added: “No final decisions have been made as yet. The consultation process we are conducting with our advisory bodies such as our Science Boards, our wider research and user community, our staff and other partners to put STFC on that sustainable footing will continue through to the summer with the aim of decisions being announced in the autumn.”