The Observatory is set up as a Small Research Facility (SRF), enabling its use to be directly charged to UKRI and other research awards.
We envisage that a typical one-week academic booking will cost approximately £1,000, with industry users paying a 50% surcharge.
This will allow ongoing maintenance and enhancement of the system and generate sufficient surplus to allow limited free access for final year undergraduates, PhDs and early career academics.
We hope that the Observatory would become the focus for citywide activity at three levels: the Research Hub (the Observatory); University Open Labs; and a citywide innovation network.
This will allow to take advantage of the open innovation environment within the University and the city, and significantly enhance any proposition to external funding agencies.