Sweden signs SKAO Convention to join Observatory
The approval by the Swedish parliament, expected in the coming months, will bring the ratification process to a conclusion and would make Sweden the 13th member of the SKAO.
"Joining the SKAO collaboration strengthens Sweden's position as a leading nation in knowledge and technology," said Sweden's Minister for Education Johan Pehrson.
"Access to world-class research infrastructure strengthens the capabilities of Swedish researchers and companies to advance technological development, which is crucial for both the present and the future."
The Convention was signed by Sweden’s Ambassador to the UK His Excellency Stefan Gullgren, starting the final steps towards membership.
“As a new member state of the SKA Observatory, Sweden is helping to build, run and participate in the most exciting research of our time about our Universe, together with 12 other countries.
“With this membership, we are investing in the technology of the future, the knowledge of the future, and in basic research of the most inspiring kind," said Ambassador Gullgren.
In tandem with the event in London, a celebration was held at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, which has coordinated Swedish contributions to the SKA project since the pre-construction phase through its Onsala Space Observatory.
“Swedish contributions have been significant both in terms of technical and scientific expertise since the project’s inception, and we see great enthusiasm among Swedish researchers for the opportunities the SKAO will bring,” said SKAO Council Chair Dr Catherine Cesarsky, who attended the signing in London.
“In my last official event as chair of the SKAO Council, I am delighted to see Sweden starting the process to ratifying the SKAO Convention and joining the Observatory as a member.”
Swedish industry has been awarded two significant SKAO construction contracts.
AAC Omnisys, a subsidiary of the AAC Clyde Space company, is delivering the Band 1 receivers for the SKA-Mid telescope dishes in South Africa, a contract which has enabled the company to build new, expanded facilities. These receivers – measuring a metre across and weighing 180 kg – are based on a prototype developed by Onsala Space Observatory.
Gothenburg-based Qamcom, a company with close ties to Chalmers University of Technology, is supplying digitisers for Bands 1, 2 and 3 of the SKA-Mid telescope. These systems will convert analogue radio signals into amplified and clean digital signals for transmission and analysis.
Sweden is also home to the first SKAO-accredited electromagnetic interference testing facility at RISE in Borås, Sweden, which will allow hardware to be evaluated before shipping.
In the recent past, Swedish researchers have hosted two National SKA Science Days, one in 2023 and another in 2024, which, along with an SKA Key Science workshop in 2015, have highlighted the excitement of the Swedish astronomy community for the SKAO. Researchers from Swedish institutions are involved in 13 of the 14 Science Working Groups, with a co-chair position in the VLBI Science Working Group.
The community will access SKAO science-ready data products through a Swedish node of the SKAO’s Regional Centre Network, a global network of supercomputing centres which will process, store and provide access to the Observatory’s data.
“The next few years will be some of the most exciting times for the SKAO as we approach early science operations,” said Prof. Philip Diamond, SKAO Director-General.
“The SKAO’s growing membership is a testament to the benefits brought by research infrastructures, including fostering investment in hi-tech infrastructure, and helping to equip the next generation with transferable, in-demand skills.”
Following the signing of the convention, Sweden will now begin the internal ratification process through its parliament.
The Observatory currently has 12 member states, and more on the path to membership, with three countries having joined in 2024 alone.
