Professor Bohlander Files Submission of Written Evidence on SETI and UAP to House of Lords Select Committee on UK Engagement with Space
International academics and professionals urge House Of Lords to recommend support for academically rigorous research into extraterrestrial intelligence and unidentified anomalous phenomena
On 4 June 2025, the House of Lords Select Committee on UK Engagement with Space published a submission by Professor Michael Bohlander entitled "Supporting the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) and the Research into Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP)". He was joined by eighteen academics and professionals from Denmark, Germany, Iran, the Netherlands, Qatar, Sweden, the UK, and the USA.
They stated that the "engagement with space, especially with outer space, raises the question of how to deal with the possibility of encountering intelligent extraterrestrial life (ETI), not least since research in recent years has already found over 5,000 exoplanets in the cosmic vicinity of Earth, with more to be expected the further out the search will spread. The statistical chance that some of them may have developed habitable conditions conducive to the emergence of intelligent life is thus increasing with time."
They pointed out that since the late 1950s no signal of any kind from space has so far been verified to the necessary rigorous standards. The same applies to bio- or technosignatures, although that aspect of SETI is still relatively new. However, for decades or even centuries, humans have reported encounters of varying proximity with unknown phenomena, craft (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena – UAP; previously often called UFOs), or even what seem to be biological entities on Earth. These reports are ongoing across the globe, including the UK, and have included sightings by highly trained military and civilian pilots and other personnel, supported by instrumental data.
In their view, the conclusion is justified that the risk of encountering a possibly extraterrestrial hon-human, intelligent presence on Earth or in space is a matter that warrants urgent, sustained, and rigorous interdisciplinary research. The UK should take the lead in providing an enabling environment which includes funding streams for independent research.
The full submission can be found at committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/140368/pdf/.
The overview of all written evidence is at https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/773/uk-engagement-with-space-committee/publications/written-evidence/