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Opticon FP6 status FP7 status

Opticon FP6 status FP7 status. Gerry Gilmore coordinator. Coordinator?. The coordinator doesn’t actually do much: just the EC-level contract, reporting and finance stuff. The real point of, and activity in, OPTICON are the JRAs, the Access program, and the Networks. EC interface.

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Opticon FP6 status FP7 status

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  1. Opticon FP6 statusFP7 status Gerry Gilmore coordinator

  2. Coordinator? • The coordinator doesn’t actually do much: just the EC-level contract, reporting and finance stuff. • The real point of, and activity in, OPTICON are the JRAs, the Access program, and the Networks.

  3. EC interface • Our two day-to-day contacts are Maria (contract, and reports) and Sara (finances). • Both leave very soon. New people for us to get to know. • Thanks, Maria and Sara • And best wishes for your futures

  4. OPTICON FP6 I3RII3-CT-2004-001566 Gerry Gilmore; Coordinator

  5. RII3-CT-2004-001566 85 organisations, 47 partners,17 countries, 3 INOs€19.2M EC funds €27M total program JRAs: 6 projects, totalling ~€10.5M Access: 17 observatories, 22 night-time and solar telescopes, total ~€5M Networks: various activities, totalling ~€3M Management: total ~€1M Gerry Gilmore; Coordinator

  6. OPTICON FP6 Contract Process • Original proposal submitted April 11 2003 • Approval of 50% support: July 31 2003 • (Zeroth executive: 24-09-03, Crete) • Contract `negotiation’: August 03-Mar 04 • Consortium Agreement completed: Jan 2004 • Contract start date: January 1 2004 • First Board meeting: April 1-2 2004 (Gent) • First Executive meeting: April 2 2004 • Contract formalities complete: July 2004 • Funding received and distributed: Sept 2004 • Key point today: the very long times......

  7. top-level Goal: develop the technologies and strengthen Europe for the future JRA technology developments focussed on early proof of key future technologies: Adaptive Optics, fast detectors, new spectrographs, VLTI… to improve 4-8m’s now, and prepare for the next generation; NETWORKS to develop and expand user community, develop ELT science case; ACCESS to get best value from extent 4m telescopes, and lead the users beyond the historical small observatories to use the best available. Gerry Gilmore; Coordinator

  8. FP6 JRA Activities • JRA1: MCAO Adaptive Optics • JRA2: Fast wavefront sensors for MCAO • JRA3: Fast sensors for astronomy • JRA4: Optical/IR Interferometry • JRA5: Smart Focal Plane Technologies • JRA6: VPH gratings for spectroscopy

  9. FP6 Access programme • 17 observatories: ALL European-owned 3-4m telescopes worldwide; • All Solar Telescopes at Teide/La Palma; • Major coordination effort for instrument enhancements cost-effective operations, release funding for other new developments; • Major goal: to introduce central Europe to the best facilities, ready for the future; • Related (MC) enhancement/schools programme

  10. FP6 Networks • N1 management • N2 ENO activities (various) • N3 Structuring: ELT Science, UV, HTRA, S/W environments, Technology Roadmap • N4 FP7- research support, innovative fellowship schemes, ESA link… • N5 Interferometry • N6 Telescope Director’s Forum

  11. OPTICON I3 2004-2008 • Includes all the European major agencies and countries • Supports open (European) access to all Europe’s 2-4m’s • Supports networking to develop future projects • Supports AVO, access etc to integrate Europe • Mostly: supports technology developments (mostly) for ELT-related developments • Budget is (only) €20+25M over 5 years • Sponsors ELT science case development • NOTE: ELT is a separate programme, with its own budget: • ELT Design Study =€22/42M • Reports at this meeting to show what has been achieved.

  12. OPTICON Payments from the EC

  13. General activities • Four annual reports completed Each year careful financial review • Funds received and distributed annually • Successful mid-term review • Development of FP7 proposal • Now finalising FP7 contract

  14. Specific admin status and activities • Careful financial review implies planned 0.5% reserve • We will work with partners to use this effectively • Final FP6 report due early 2009. Work to start now. • FP7 proposal written (huge effort), and supported at a depressingly small level. • Horrible cutbacks required • We hope many will be ``just`` delay, not termination • Future FP7 CfP schedule and policy still unclear • Active contract negotiations underway • Money will no doubt be very late. Again.

  15. I3 Coordinator’s Forum • The (20+) I3s have similar challenges and difficulties, and so can benefit from a concerted view; • The I3’s ``represent’’ most users of most European major Infrastructure at least as well as any other extant organisation does, so the EC needs our involvement; • Our combined opinion was input to FP7 planning: didn’t seem to help much....

  16. The good news: Opticon is a big success Florence 2005 Marseilles 2003 The astronomers like what we have done, and want more: let’s be optimistic! Florence 2004

  17. Admin Status summary • From my perspective, all the activities are productive and worthwhile • We do try to minimise the admin load on you... • We are working to get the FP7 contract and funding available soon, but things in the EC are very slow, in spite of a lot of goodwill. • This implies some uncertainty for 2009 activities • Next board at JENAM 2009, Hatfield UK, April 20-24 • What are the strategic issues?

  18. OPTICON FP7: top level requirements • To build the European astronomical community (access, networks) • Many science- or methodology- based communities have thought clearly about their ambitions and needs, will benefit from and contribute to the whole community by being embedded in a larger structure, and so require an umbrella: Interferometry, Solar, UV, ELT science,(FASE?) • Some communities remain isolated, and need us to act proactively for the greater European good – eg central Europe: should we? • Are we doing all that is reasonable here???? • To strengthen the community consistently with agreed strategic goals • E-ELT must be the priority, with significant enhancements of extant 4-8m’s from their use as test-beds providing both shorter term and strategic value • The adaptive optics, detector development, instrument development, and focal planes work matches this: is the balance close to reasonable? • To support promising longer-term technological developments which are potentially of very high European value • KTN planning work has identified several promising, relatively low-cost, post-FP7-maturity investments which need investment, subject to progress evaluation – eg photonics, new materials

  19. What is next? • Our initial challenge was focussed on helping build a single E-ELT project, with strong and wide community involvement, and helping strengthen European astronomy more generally. • When the ELT becomes a fully-funded project – soon! – Opticon’s role will evolve. • Strong EII/VLTI, innovative technologies and Solar/EAST activities have developed, in spite of limited funding • Short term – using our wide bottom-up community links to implement the AstroNet strategy plan – medium telescopes review panel, and spectroscopic review. • Longer term – you need to decide what you want, subject to available funding

  20. What is OPTICON REALLY for? This was an FP6 prediction slide.... • To help integrate and so strengthen European astronomy • To help focus EC funds where astronomy needs them • To `jump through the hoops’ to get new EC funds. for technology, for development, for ELT studies • To set up a structure which will improve the chances of MAJOR EC funding in a few years (FP7/8/9) • FP5=1Meuro • FP6=20M+20M (opticon), plus 12M+ for radio and ALMA and7M ILIAS astroparticles) plus design studies TBD • FP7 = ????? linear or logarithmic??

  21. FP7 OPTICON: top level implementation • There is not all that much money available: • `real terms’ FP7 budget substantially cut from FP6 level • Notional 60% decrease per year, and ~10 years of inflation • Change in accounting model is NOT neutral: 75% EC support saves the agencies funds. It will produce more work only if the `saved’ resources are retained, but not matched by EC. Old 1:1 match requires a 3:1 match to retain agencies support – we do not have 300% more EC cash. Opticon future ambitions will have to be debated by the Board when we know more about likely future funding levels and timescales – next meeting? Jenam 2009 Some issues we can consider today

  22. Opticon future – issues for the Board • There are many organisations – some FP6 partners – who can contribute to, and benefit from, Opticon participation. They can’t all be partners (admin load): • Should we, and if so, How, do we involve them? • Superboard? Invite to annual Board? Associates? • Invitation? CfP? Nomination? By whom- a WG? • Open session at Jenams didn’t work • Or is most interest at JRA level?  more network funds for open specialist meetings? • This we can do now – low cost • (maybe also improve gender representation?)

  23. Opticon future – issues for the next Board • All strategic options depend on EC funding levels and stability. When we know that, it is time to reconsider the structure*. • More or less of JRA/Access/Network? • More or less risky innovation in JRA (depends on matched funding), to deliver uniqueness? • Are we affected by ERC? • How should Opticon be coordinated • By whom? • WG/Board chair to develop an options paper? • * change we can believe in...

  24. The AstroNet Medium Telescopes Review-ETSRC • AstroNet Board established, implementation utilises the Opticon community connection. • Chair: Janet Drew; Co-Chair: Jacqueline Bergeron • Members: Jerome Bouvier (Grenoble) Margarida Cunha (Porto) Angeles Diaz (Madrid) Geza Kovacs (Konkoly) Andreas Quirrenbach (Heidelberg) Clive Tadhunter (Sheffield) Massimo Turatto (Padova) Jose (Pepe) Vilchez (Granada)

  25. ETSRC • Remit: • adopt the strategic science plan for the future from the AstroNet community-based review relevant to 2-4m telescopes; • Identify a realistic balance of facilities, (new?) instruments and capabilities which will deliver that science roadmap; • Consider how to move from where we are today to a future where European-wide coordination, specialisation, and complementary planning, will lead to the most appropriate and cost-effective set of telescopes for future science delivery. • Consider the global situation where appropriate • Goal: report by September 2009.

  26. ETSRC • First meeting with agencies Dec 2 2008 • Will get facility information through Opticon Telescope Directors’ Forum. • Will get community views through an AstroNet-like web system • Will hold open community meeting at Jenam 2009 • Opticon will inform all astronomers through the access programme and observatory web sites of the opportunity to contribute • EAS will also spread the word • Other suggestions?

  27. Other AstroNet strategy implementation • Wide-field multiplexed spectroscopy WG • AstroNet roadmap identifies a gap in future planning, for massive spectroscopic surveys (cosmology and Gaia-like science) • Set up a WG to look at science cases (available), technical options (needs thought), and possible implementations (needs more thought...). • Need to include all European (part-)owned large telescopes: ESO/VLT; LBT; Gemini; GranteCan; • And wide-field telescopes: AAT, CAHA, CFHT,... • Plan to start this soon.

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