{"id":2114980,"date":"2026-07-29T14:29:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T13:29:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/westmidlands\/?p=2114980"},"modified":"2026-07-29T14:31:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T13:31:53","slug":"telford-engineering-jodrell-bank","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/westmidlands\/news\/2114980-telford-engineering-jodrell-bank","title":{"rendered":"Telford engineering firm warns Jodrell Bank closure will hit next generation of scientists"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\">Telford-based automation specialist Transicon has called for the government to reverse a decision to withdraw funding from Jodrell Bank, warning it will damage the UK&#8217;s ability to attract and retain scientific talent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\">The Cheshire observatory, home to the UK&#8217;s largest telescope, faces losing its UK Research and Innovation funding by 2028 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/science\/2026\/jul\/28\/world-class-jodrell-bank-threat-uk-physics\">and could close as a result.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\">UKRI has said it needs to cut the site&#8217;s \u00a32.8m budget due to escalating research and lab running costs, a decision that has drawn criticism from scientists including Professor Brian Cox, who called it &#8220;astonishing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\">Jennifer Hughes, general manager at Transicon, said the cuts were short-sighted and risked sending the wrong message to young people considering careers in engineering and science.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\">&#8220;We just cannot afford to lose our best scientific minds to countries that are willing to invest in this kind of research,&#8221; she said. &#8220;This is a facility that has been at the forefront of global physics research for decades and has helped to develop scores of engineers and scientists.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\">Hughes, a long-standing advocate for STEM engagement in Shropshire schools, said the decision reflected a &#8220;tunnel vision approach&#8221; from government toward science funding, arguing that space exploration and fundamental physics research remained the foundation for future scientific discovery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\">Transicon, established in 1967 and based at Queensway Business Park in Telford, works with manufacturers including M\u00fcller Dairy, BMW and Tata Steel, and runs an active apprenticeship programme alongside its schools engagement work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Telford-based automation specialist Transicon has called for the government to reverse a decision to withdraw funding from Jodrell Bank<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":284306,"featured_media":2114982,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53262,1,127720],"coauthors":[137138],"class_list":["post-2114980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-news","category-latest-news","category-skills","tag-featured-story"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Telford engineering firm warns Jodrell Bank closure will hit next generation of scientists | TheBusinessDesk.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Telford-based automation specialist Transicon has called for the government to reverse a decision to withdraw funding from Jodrell Bank\" \/>\n<meta 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