Conclusion 18

We asked UKRI to justify the decision it recently took about the future of its airborne laboratory – an aeroplane which measured conditions in the atmosphere. UKRI had funded a £49 million project to upgrade the aircraft and keep it in service for longer. However earlier this year, after £46 million of the budget had been spent, UKRI decided not to provide the £30 million of operating costs the aircraft also needed. It defended this decision, arguing that the aircraft’s value for money was deteriorating as it was costing more to operate and fewer researchers wanted to use it. It also noted that other emerging technologies such as drones allow researchers to carry out science in different ways.37