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EXPReS is a three-year project funded by the European Commission to create a distributed astronomical instrument using high-speed communication networks. This text provides an overview of EXPReS and discusses financial, progress monitoring, and reporting aspects of the project.
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FABRIC MeetingPoznan, Poland T. Charles Yun EXPReS/JIVE Project Manager
What is EXPReS? • EXPReS = Express Production Real-time e-VLBI Service • Three year project, started March 2006, funded by the European Commission (DG-INFSO), Sixth Framework Programme, Contract #026642 • Objective: to create a distributed, large-scale astronomical instrument of continental and inter-continental dimensions • Means: high-speed communication networks operating in real-time and connecting some of the largest and most sensitive radio telescopes on the planet *e-VLBI = electronic Very Long Baseline Interferometer Fabric Meeting; Poznan, Poland
EXPReS Partners • Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (coordinator) • AARNET Pty Ltd., Australia • Centro Nacional de Informacion Geografica, Spain • Chalmers Tekniska Hoegskola Aktiebolag, Sweden • Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia • Cornell University, USA • Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe Ltd. (DANTE), UK • Instituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Italy • Instytut Chemii Bioorganicznej PAN, Poland • Max Planck Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Wissenschaften e.V., Germany • National Research Foundation, South Africa • Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China • SURFNet b.v., The Netherlands • Teknillinen Korkeakoulu, Finland • The University of Manchester, UK • Universidad de Concepcion, Chile • Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika, Poland • Ventspils Augstskola, Latvia Fabric Meeting; Poznan, Poland
FABRIC is part of EXPReS • EXPReS is still taking shape • Consortium agreement taking shape • Beginning to receive signed copies • EXPReS expects each of the participants to quickly complete this step • First board meeting for EXPReS • In Zaandam on November 1 • Open kick-off meeting on October 31 Fabric Meeting; Poznan, Poland
Answering some questions... • Money flow will start when? • You should have received your distribution or you will soon receive it. Check the bank number you provided when the contract was signed. • Official start date will remain at March 2006 • Project will run into for the initially allocated 3 years. • Some 3 year appointments have yet to be filled • Generally, the appointment will end with the project • However, extensions are possible (but this is long and complicated...) • We understand this causes problems in hiring... Fabric Meeting; Poznan, Poland
Money (reporting) questions... • Spending must be accountable • Audits will be when? • Smaller financial participants, can be once at ~2.5 years • Larger financial participants, should be annual • Note: Implications to the 70% rule • Includes man hours • Should identify and quantify all expenditures associated with EXPReS, manpower, purchases, travel, etc. • Depreciation rules on equipment • Follow your local rules. As long as the audit group you select agrees with the process, you can do what you want Fabric Meeting; Poznan, Poland
Progress Monitoring • There will be reporting... • Annual documents • Adjust description of work: milestones, and deliverables • This will be a LARGE task. Planning/preparation will begin (approximately) end of Jan 2007, for delivery Mar 2007 • Quarterly reports • Partial financial reporting • Monthly Progress • EC is requesting monthly reports from all participants. The level of detail is not clear. This topic is under active discussion both inside and outside of EXPReS Fabric Meeting; Poznan, Poland
Reporting on the web • http://www.expres-eu.org/ • Wiki will be site for participants to provide project reports. • This step will be made available once we have the ACLs set up to prevent early leak of information (next 2-3 weeks) • Templates for small, medium and large documents will be available • “Templates” will be a list of items required for updates and deliverables. We do not expect to create forms for you to fill out... unless you want them • Wiki will be non-public (the financial elements) • Viewable only by those who post until the documents are final Fabric Meeting; Poznan, Poland
Document Formats • Good: • PDF • Microsoft.doc • OpenOffice • If images are important, please provide separate copies (jpeg, tiff, ps, png, etc.) • Request that copy-able text source be made available (.doc, .html, flat file, etc.) to aid in creation of future documents. Specifically, do not place permissions protection on document so that text can not be copy/pasted Fabric Meeting; Poznan, Poland
Other questions? • Feel free to ask (almost) anything at this point • Please send me your presentations: tcyun @ jive . nl Fabric Meeting; Poznan, Poland
Contact Information T. Charles Yun Project Manager, EXPReS JIVE tcyun at jive dot nl http://www.expres-eu.org/ http://www.jive.nl/ Fabric Meeting; Poznan, Poland