MNRF - INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH FACILITIES COLLABORATION
The Major National Research Facilities funding included an allocation of $1.26M to enhance international collaboration by developing links between major astronomical research facilities in Australia and overseas. Proposals for funding are approved by the National Committee for Astronomy of the Academy of Science. The ATNF has responsibility for the administration of this program.
A call for proposals was solicited from the Australian astronomy community for international collaboration on, or related to, major research facilities in November 1996. 16 proposals were received by the National Committee for Astronomy (NCA) who made a preliminary review at the NCA meeting on 20/12/96 and broadly divided the proposals into 3 classes.
- Appropriate
- Inappropriate (eg not involving a major research facility)
- Needing more information
The NCA nominated a sub-committee; Ekers (chair), Mould & Sadler to follow up on these proposals. This committee met on 21 February 1997 and committed initial funding for proposals 1-9.
The proposals for funding the Gemini project and ESO collaboration on Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) were received in August 1997 and approved for funding by the Committee.
There was a reduction in the funding request for Phase 2 activities of the LSA Project and $33,500 was reallocated from this project to International Collaboration overseas travel funding.
| Proposer | Affiliation | Proposal | Requested | Committed | Reserved |
| R Morganti/E Sadler | ATNF, Uni of Sydney | A Joint ESO/Australia Workshop "Looking Deep in the Southern Sky | $20,000 | $15,000 | |
| B MacThomas | ATNF | The One Kilometre Square Telescope (1kT) | $191,800 | $87,000 | $45,000 |
| R W Clay | Uni. of Adelaide | Studies of the Highest Energy Particles in Nature | $198,000 | $6,000 | $24,000 |
| LE Allen/MA Dopita/JW Storey et al | Uni of NSW/MSSSO | SPIRIT 'The South Pole Infrared Imaging Telescope'-NOAO/CARA collaboration | $255,000 | $225,000 | |
| J Patterson | Uni of Adelaide | G -ray Observatory- Cangaroo Project | $90,500 | $30,000 | |
| JB Whiteoak | ATNF | Phase 2 Activities of European Large Southern Array (LSA) Project | $100,000 | 56,000 | $10,500 |
| K Taylor/M Colless | AAO/MSSSO | Australis Phase A Study | $400,000 | $320,000 | |
| K Nugent/R Webster | Uni of Melbourne | LOBSTER X-ray Satellite Project | $141,000 | $58,000 | |
| M Bessell | MSSSO | Australia-Japan Collaborative Workshops | $115,000 | $20,000 | |
| M Brennan | Australian Research Council | Gemini partnership - contribution to the capital cost of Australia's participation in Gemini project. | $200,000 | $200,000 | |
| J Davis | University of Sydney | Collaboration with ESO on instrumentation for the VLTI | $67,000 | $60,000 | |
| International collaboration funding - overseas travel & miscellaneous & establishment costs | $103,500 | ||||
| $1,778,300 | $1,180,500 | $79,500 | |||
| Total Commitment | $1,180,500 | ||||
| Reserved | 79,500 | ||||
| Uncommitted | 0 | ||||
| Total Budget | 1,260,000 | ||||
Last updated 24 February 1999
by Sue Little