Opticon%20FP6%20status%20FP7%20status

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Opticon FP6 statusFP7 status

• Gerry Gilmore
• coordinator

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Coordinator?

• The coordinator doesnt 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.

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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

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OPTICON FP6 I3RII3-CT-2004-001566
Gerry Gilmore Coordinator
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85 organisations, 47 partners,17 countries, 3
INOs 19.2M EC funds 27M total program
RII3-CT-2004-001566
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
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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......

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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 4-8ms 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
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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

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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

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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 Directors Forum

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OPTICON I3 2004-2008

• Includes all the European major agencies and
  countries
• Supports open (European) access to all Europes
  2-4ms
• 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) 2025M 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.

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OPTICON Payments from the EC
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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

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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.

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I3 Coordinators Forum

• The (20) I3s have similar challenges and
  difficulties, and so can benefit from a concerted
  view
• The I3s 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
  didnt seem to help much....

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The good news Opticon is a big success
Florence 2005
Marseilles 2003
The astronomers like what we have done, and want
more lets be optimistic!
Florence 2004
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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?

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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 4-8ms 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

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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! Opticons 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

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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)
• FP51Meuro
• FP620M20M (opticon), plus 12M for radio and
  ALMA and 7M ILIAS astroparticles) plus design
  studies TBD
• FP7 ????? linear or logarithmic??

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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 11 match
  requires a 31 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

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Opticon future issues for the Board

• There are many organisations some FP6 partners
  who can contribute to, and benefit from,
  Opticon participation. They cant 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 didnt 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?)

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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...

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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)

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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.

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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?

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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.