Astronomy and particle physics : report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence.
- Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on Science and Technology
- Date:
- 2011
Licence: Open Government Licence
Credit: Astronomy and particle physics : report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence. Source: Wellcome Collection.
10/176 page 6
![subscriptions and the associated cost pressures arising from exchange rate fluctuations.’ The Committee also recommended that withdrawals from programmes following the STFC’s 2009 prioritisation exercise (see below) should be suspended until after the 2010 Spending Review when budget allocations for 2011/12 to 2014/15 would be known.° 2009 STFC prioritisation exercise 5. In 2009, the STFC carried out a Science Programme Prioritisation for the period 2010 to 2015. This was carried out for two reasons: to prepare for tougher budget outcomes expected as a result of national budgetary constraints; and to ensure the STFC’s programmes delivered maximum scientific, social, economic and international benefit to the UK.’ During the prioritisation exercise the STFC commissioned an independent panel to review the astronomical ground-based facilities supported by the STFC.° The panel placed:” e “very high priority” on the UK’s ongoing involvement in the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and future involvement in the development and operation of two future astronomical projects, the European-Extremely Large Telescope (E- ELT) and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA); e “high priority” on ongoing access to the William Herschel Telescope (WHT) on La Palma to 2017 (one of the Isaac Newton Group (ING) part-owned by the STFC), and the two telescopes located at the STFC’s Joint Astronomy Centre in Hawaii— the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) to 2014, and the UK Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) to 2014—in addition to a number of other facilities; and e “medium priority” on an ongoing share in the Gemini telescope in Hawaii.” 6. Following the prioritisation programme, the STFC announced the managed withdrawal from a range of projects, programmes and facilities.’ In particular the STFC said it would be withdrawing from a number of ground-based astronomical facilities, including Gemini (from 2012), the ING telescopes including the WHT (from 2012), the Liverpool Telescope on La Palma, the JCMT (from 2012) and the UKIRT.“ 7. A full summary of the STFC’s decisions in relation to astronomy and particle physics projects following the prioritisation exercise is provided at Annex 2 to this report. 7 Science and Technology Committee, Sixth Report of Session 2009-10, The impact of spending cuts on science and scientific research, HC 335, para 51 8 HC 335 (2009-10), para 52 * “Science Programme Prioritisation 2010-2015”, STFC Press Release, 16 December 2009 '0 STFC, Ground-Based Facilities Review Final Report, 2009; the Chair and Vice-Chair of the panel have both submitted evidence to the inquiry (Ev w20 [Professor Michael Rowan-Robinson and Professor Robert Kennicutt]; and Ev 43 [Professor Robert Kennicutt]). To assist the reader there is a glossary of acronyms and abbreviations at Annex 1 to this report. ” The Panel's final priority list is summarised at Annex 2. 8 “Science Programme Prioritisation 2010-2015, STFC Press Release, 16 December 2009 4 Support for the UKIRT has been extends to 2013, while there is also a “limited extension” to support for the JCMT (Ev 52, para 12 [Science and Technology Facilities Council]). ~](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b3222204x_0010.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
