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STFC ProgRev and UKIRT 08A/B - Update 4
UKIRT and the
STFC Programmatic Review - Update 4
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Short-Term Plan
The following note was issued by the Director, JAC, on 2-Apr-2008.
Dear colleagues,
I am pleased to announce to the UKIRT community that I have reached
agreement with STFC on a new short-term plan for UKIRT. The new
arrangements are as follows:
1. UKIRT will continue operating as a full-service observatory until
the end of 2008. This will give me an opportunity to continue my
ongoing discussions with several potential partners who are interested
in joining UKIRT, some of which are very promising at present.
Although some of the candidates are interested only in wide-field
imaging with WFCAM, others are interested in the entire suite of
capabilities: imaging, spectroscopy and polarimetry.
2. The situation will be assessed at the end of 2008. Depending on the
progress of the partnership discussions and the scientific aspirations
of the likely partners, three options are currently foreseeable:
a) UKIRT will continue operating as a full-service observatory with the
UK as a 50% partner;
b) UKIRT will convert to wide-field survey mode in early 2009 and will
continue to operate with the UK as a 50% partner; or
c) UKIRT will convert to wide-field survey mode in early 2009, the
UKIDSS programme will be expeditiously completed, and the facility will
then be closed.
The last option is clearly the worst-case scenario and it is listed
here for completeness; I am optimistic that a partnership arrangement
can be reached for UKIRT, and that the facility will continue to
operate under scenario a or b.
3. If the situation evolves such that the choice between options
becomes clear before the end of 2008, the decision date will be brought
forward.
Please note that the above arrangements assume that UKIRT's ranking in
the Programmatic Review is unchanged; the community submissions to the
consultation process are currently being assessed by the ground-based
astronomy panel which has been set up for this purpose. The process is
described here.
If UKIRT's ranking is significantly altered as a
result of the consultation, then the situation would have to be
re-asssessed.
The new plan offers two clear advantages: first, it gives me more time
to establish a viable partnership for the future of UKIRT without
compromising its capabilities; and second, it recognises the completion
of UKIDSS as a minimum deliverable. This is a major step forward for
UKIRT and its community.
Professor Gary Davis
Director, JAC
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