International and national experts have given top marks to Onsala Space Observatory’s plans for the coming years. The evaluation, part of the Swedish Research Council’s review of Swedish research infrastructures, sets facility’s funding until 2030. The reviewers highlighted the observatory’s world-class technology development, high-profile science impact, comprehensive user support, and high scientific return on modest investment.
Onsala Space Observatory is one of 20 Swedish research infrastructures whose future plans have been assessed by the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet), which provides the largest part of the observatory’s funding. The observatory has additional funding from the Swedish Mapping Authority (Lantmäteriet) for its work in geoscience, and from Chalmers, where the Department of Space, Earth and Environment hosts the observatory.
On 25 September 2025, the Swedish Research Council communicated that grants with a total value of 743 million SEK will be awarded to twenty research infrastructures of national interest. Onsala Space Observatory is the largest infrastructure in this award, which covers 2027-2030.
The grant awards follow assessment by two independent panels, one international and one Swedish, made up of scientific experts.
“The observatory is a truly outstanding research infrastructure of national and international interest, that enables membership to the highest class of international collaborative infrastructures as a vital node, while also challenging innovative engineering minds to deliver new sensor technology to these infrastructures”, writes the Swedish Research Council in its final assessment.
The panels and the research council identify a number of aspects in which Onsala Space Observatory excels in its performance and prospects for the future. It provides “unique access” to facilities for scientists, “outstanding innovative industrial sensor developments” for international ALMA and SKAO telescopes, and maintains “a Swedish frontline expertise in microwave technology and related microfabrication”.
Onsala Space Observatory “provides outstanding scientific performance”, helping scientists to address a “vast range of important and topical scientific questions”, citing as highlights imaging of black holes and of convection bubbles on the surface of a star.
Observatory directory John Conway, also professor of radio astronomy at Chalmers, attributes this success to many years of colleagues’ dedication and teamwork.
"The very broad range of activities and our success in all these areas, not just one or two, is what lies behind our outstanding result. This result is a testament to all the hard work within all our units over many years; all should feel proud of contributing to this success", he says.
The evaluation results are a critical step in the process of setting the observatory’s infrastructure funding for 2027-2030 which will conclude by early December.
"It’s clear from their comments that the evaluation panels see Onsala Space Observatory as a highly successful part of the Swedish science infrastructure landscape, with a vital strategic role well into the future in supporting Swedish involvement in radio astronomy and geoscience", says John Conway.