Sweden and the United Kingdom have joined the LOFAR ERIC (European Research Infrastructure Consortium) as a member, following the decision of the Council on 26 March 2025. This significant expansion brings the total membership to eight countries, marking an important milestone in the growth of this pioneering research infrastructure.
Published by the editorial team, 1 May 2025
Research institutes from both Sweden and the United Kingdom have been long-standing collaborators with the LOFAR distributed infrastructure and research programme. Their transition from collaborators to full members underscores both countries’ commitment to advancing radio astronomy research and strengthens Europe’s position at the forefront of low-frequency radio astronomy.
LOFAR ERIC’s Founding Members are Bulgaria, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland. For more than two decades, research institutes from Sweden and the United Kingdom have been active collaborators in the LOFAR distributed infrastructure and research program. Onsala Space Observatory in Sweden has hosted a station of the LOFAR array since 2011 and the station at the Chilbolton Observatory in the UK was opened in 2010.
LOFAR ERIC Council Chair Jacqueline Mout expressed her enthusiasm about the expansion: “The addition of Sweden and the United Kingdom as full members represents a significant advancement for LOFAR ERIC and strengthens European collaboration in astronomy research. This expansion consolidates LOFAR’s position as one of the most productive radio astronomy observatories in the world.”
Michiel van Haarlem, Director of LOFAR ERIC, added: “Astronomers from both the United Kingdom and Sweden have already been part of many successful collaborations and this will now continue. Their extensive expertise in radio astronomy and data science will further enhance our research capabilities and contribute to groundbreaking scientific discoveries.”
In addition, John Conway, Director of the Onsala Space Observatory, highlighted the strength of the LOFAR ERIC partnership: “We are extremely happy that Sweden has now officially joined LOFAR ERIC as a member. We look forward to soon upgrading our station to the new LOFAR 2.0 standard and working closely with our colleagues around Europe in operating together the cutting edge LOFAR telescope to enable new discoveries in astronomy.”
Associate Director of Astronomy at STFC-UKRI, Jenny Hiscock, emphasised the significance of the UK’s membership, stating: “The UK accession to the LOFAR ERIC is a significant milestone for the UK and its radio astronomy community. LOFAR is a flagship international science infrastructure that brings together a wealth of technology and expertise to help us probe some of the fundamental questions about the origins of the universe. Joining the ERIC highlights the importance of strong collaboration to deliver research and innovation, enriching lives across the globe.”