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STFC ProgRev and UKIRT 08A/B - Update 4
UKIRT and the
STFC Programmatic Review - Final Outcome
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Final Outcome
The following note was issued by the Director, JAC, on 21-Jul-2008.
Dear colleagues,
On 3rd July, STFC announced the final outcome of the Programmatic
Review. I am pleased to announce to the UKIRT community that, due in no
small part to the very strong support that you provided to the
consultation process, as reflected in the report of the Ward panel, the
outlook for UKIRT is now very much better than when the initial
rankings were released in March.
The short-term 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 a new partnership and a reduced contribution from the
UK;
(b) UKIRT will convert to wide-field survey mode in
early 2009 and will then operate with a new partnership and a reduced
contribution from the UK; or
(c) UKIRT will convert to wide-field survey mode in
early 2009 and the UKIDSS survey programme will be expeditiously
completed under STFC funding.
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.
Option (c) 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).
This new implementation strategy offers three clear advantages:
• first, it gives me more time to establish a viable
partnership for the future of UKIRT without compromising its
capabilities;
• second, it recognises the completion of the full,
approved UKIDSS survey as a minimum deliverable; and
• third, under any of the three scenarios, there now
exists an opportunity to develop a scientific mission for UKIRT in the
post-UKIDSS era.
Achievement of this outcome is a very major step forward for UKIRT and
its community.
Professor Gary Davis
Director, JAC
Links and History
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