Документ взят из кэша поисковой машины. Адрес оригинального документа : http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/~bessell/FTP/NCRIS.pdf Дата изменения: Tue Aug 29 10:47:50 2006 Дата индексирования: Tue Oct 2 01:06:06 2012 Кодировка: Поисковые слова: п п п п п п

NATIONAL COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE STRATEGY

Investment Plan
For the research capability

Radio and optical astronomy v2.2
August 23 2006


2

Version 1.0 1.1 1.2 2.0 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.1 2.2

Date 31 June 7 July 31 July 17 August 18 19 21 22 23 24 A A A A A A ug ug ug ug ug ug us us us us us us t t t t t t

Comments Initial version distributed to community for comments Progress report submitted to NCRI S Included summary section and section on data management Revised invest ment profile bas ed on NCRIS feedback. Revised contributions from proponents. Minor editing of infrastructure c ases Inclusion of further items on GMT and AAO regional benefits Addition of input from Governance WG Further edits from proponents Further edits from proponents Financial tables included, updated organization charts


3 INSTRUCTI ONS Purpos e This Invest ment Plan is to be c ompleted in res pec t of funding to support Australian res earc h infrastructure under the National Collaborative Researc h Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). Guidance on issues related to the dev elopment of this Invest ment Plan can be found in the NCRI S Roadmap and NCRIS Inv estment Framework. GST The Department will not provide funding to cov er any amounts of GST incurred by any Party to the Investment Plan in circ umstanc es where the applicant is entitled to claim input tax credits for those GST amounts. Therefore, budget figures should be the GST exclusive costs of all items in res pect of which any Party is entitled to an input tax credit. Confidential Information No confidential information should be inc luded in this Invest ment Plan. If it is considered necessary to provide c ertain confidential inf ormation to the Depart ment or the NCRI S Committee in association wit h this Invest ment Plan, then only a non-c onfidential summary explaining the nature and owners hip of the information s hould be provided in Attachment J. DEST will then contact relev ant parties to obtain access to the confidential information in an appropriat e manner. Consideration of Invest ment Plans Investment Plans will only be c onsidered by the NCRIS Committee and DEST if they have been prepared by the Facilitator identified for the relev ant NCRI S Research Capability.


4

CONTENTS Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Fac ilitator's Declaration Overview Research Infrastructure Access and Pricing Ownership and Management Implementation Strategy and Business Case

Attachments A B C D E F G H I J K List of assets Constitution / Memorandum of Underst anding Organisation charts Curric ulum Vitae for key personnel Implementation strat egy Financial statements Risk management strategy Letters of commit ment Further infrastructure needs Confidential inf ormation Other, as required


5 PART ONE ­ FACI LITATOR' S DECLARATI ON

I, [Facilitator's name], confirm that I have prepared this Investment Plan in accordance wit h the NCRI S principles as set out in the NCRIS Inv est ment Framework.

............................................... Signed Brian J Boy le ............................................... Name 7 September 2006 ............................................... Date


6

PART TWO - OVERVIEW Details of the or ganisation that will contr act with the Commonwealth: Organisation Name: Ultimate parent organisation (if appropriate): Organisation Type (please select one of the following) - Higher Educ ational institution; - Australian Government research institution; - State or territory researc h institution; - Privat e sector research organis ation; - Other (Pleas e state) Contact Officer (name and position held): Phone number: Fax number: Email Address: Websit e: Physical Address: Postal Address for all corres pondenc e: Astr onomy Research Australia Ltd


7

Details of all other or ganisati ons that will contr ibute r esources to this I nvestment Pl an: Organisation Name: Organisation Type (please select one of the following) - Higher Educ ational institution; - Australian Government research institution; - State or territory researc h institution; - Privat e sector research organis ation; - Other (Pleas e state) Contact Officer det ails (pleas e include Name, Position, Phone Number and Email Address): Organisation Name: Organisation Type (please select one of the following) - Higher Educ ational institution; - Australian Government research institution; - State or territory researc h institution; - Privat e sector research organis ation; - Other (Pleas e state) Contact Officer det ails (pleas e include Name, Position, Phone Number and Email Address): Organisation Name: Organisation Type (please select one of the following) - Higher Educ ational institution; - Australian Government research institution; - State or territory researc h institution; - Privat e sector research organis ation; - Other (Pleas e state) Contact Officer det ails (pleas e include Name, Position, Phone Number and Email Address):


8 Fundi ng Summary: Table 1: Outline of the overall funding (GST exclusive) for the Inv est ment Plan: Table 2: Summary of the contributions to be made by eac h participant organisation: (Tables 1 and 2 c ombined, as Table 2 is basically a sub-t otal that feeds in to Table 1)
Organisation NCRIS ANU Members ARC Cash Total In-kind Total Cash Total Cash In-kind Total CSIRO GSKA MNRF UNSW WA Govt Total In-kind Total In-kind Total In-kind Total In-kind Total $15,612,898 $2,222,243 $2,222,243 $3,920,000 $3,920,000 $4,614,655 $4,614,655 $62,500 $62,500 $125,000 $125,000 $2,000,000 $2,000,000 $19,056,910 $4,500,000 $4,500,000 $22,014,758 $3,500,000 $3,500,000 $26,707,458 $15,247,661 2006/07 $3,433,500 $3,433,500 $1,300,000 $1,300,000 $60,000 $60,000 $164,300 $164,300 $867,000 $936,543 $1,803,543 $6,280,000 $6,280,000 $889,000 $7,630,000 $7,630,000 $911,000 $7,330,000 $7,330,000 $933,000 $4,840,000 $4,840,000 $174,158 $174,158 $889,000 $184,605 $184,605 $911,000 $195,681 $195,681 $933,000 2007/08 $8,684,067 $8,684,067 2008/09 $8,821,600 $8,821,600 2009/10 $14,781,853 $14,781,853 2010/11 $9,278,980 $9,278,980 Total $45,000,000 $45,000,000 $1,300,000 $1,300,000 $778,744 $778,744 $3,600,000 $3,158,786 $6,758,786 $30,000,000 $30,000,000 $4,614,655 $4,614,655 $187,500 $187,500 $10,000,000 $10,000,000 $98,639,685

Table 3: Breakdown of expenditure (the totals should match those in Table 1):
Type Expense - Inter national Access Expense - O per ating Expenses - C apital Grand Total 2006/07 -$6,464,898 -$3,878,000 -$5,270,000 -$15,612,898 2007/08 -$3,423,210 -$3,185,033 -$11,200,000 -$17,808,243 2008/09 -$3,766,000 -$5,088,092 -$13,130,000 -$21,984,092 2009/10 -$3,828,666 -$5,116,792 -$17,730,000 -$26,675,458 2010/11 -$3,121,833 -$4,647,161 -$8,790,000 -$16,558,994 Total -$20,604,607 -$21,915,078 -$56,120,000 -$98,639,685


9 Additional Tables Table 4: Break down of revenue per facility and organisation
Facility 6.19% Gemini Funding ARC Cash In-kind Total GSKA MNRF Total NCRIS Total AAO Total ARA Members NCRIS Total Gemini additional Total GMT ANU NCRIS Total GMT/ PILOT/8m Total MIRA CSIRO NCRIS WA Govt Total PILOT ARC NCRIS UNSW Total Grand Total In-kind Total Cash Total In-kind Total In-kind Total Cash Total In-kind Total $4,420,000 $80,000 $80,000 $500,000 $500,000 $62,500 $62,500 $642,500 $15,612,898 $500,000 $500,000 $125,000 $125,000 $625,000 $19,056,910 $22,014,758 $26,707,458 $15,247,661 $3,920,000 $3,920,000 $500,000 $500,000 In-kind Total Cash Total Cash Total Cash Total GSKA MNRF NCRIS Cash Total Cash Total $4,216,898 $950,000 $950,000 $950,000 $60,000 $60,000 $183,500 $183,500 $243,500 In-kind Total $2,540,000 $2,540,000 $2,540,000 $1,300,000 $1,300,000 $1,300,000 $1,300,000 $2,600,000 NCRIS Cash Total $358,593 $358,593 $358,593 $6,280,000 $6,280,000 $1,700,000 $1,700,000 $2,000,000 $2,000,000 $9,980,000 $358,594 $358,594 $358,594 $7,630,000 $7,630,000 $2,200,000 $2,200,000 $4,500,000 $4,500,000 $14,330,000 $358,594 $358,594 $358,594 $7,330,000 $7,330,000 $8,400,000 $8,400,000 $3,500,000 $3,500,000 $19,230,000 $11,240,000 $358,594 $358,594 $358,594 $4,840,000 $4,840,000 $6,400,000 $6,400,000 In-kind $2,142,243 $2,142,243 $2,074,655 $2,074,655 $3,168,334 $3,168,334 $4,971,877 $2,720,000 $2,720,000 $2,720,000 $164,300 $164,300 $237,140 $237,140 $401,440 $3,219,666 $3,219,666 $4,108,666 $2,800,000 $2,800,000 $2,800,000 $174,158 $174,158 $243,340 $243,340 $417,498 $3,273,666 $3,273,666 $4,184,666 $2,500,000 $2,500,000 $2,500,000 $184,605 $184,605 $249,593 $249,593 $434,198 $1,214,500 $1,214,500 $2,147,500 $1,050,000 $1,050,000 $1,050,000 $195,681 $195,681 $255,886 $255,886 $451,567 2006/07 2007/08 $867,000 $936,543 $1,803,543 $889,000 $911,000 $933,000 2008/09 $889,000 2009/10 $911,000 2010/11 $933,000 Total $3,600,000 $3,078,786 $6,678,786 $2,074,655 $2,074,655 $10,876,166 $10,876,166 $19,629,607 $10,020,000 $10,020,000 $10,020,000 $778,744 $778,744 $1,169,459 $1,169,459 $1,948,203 $2,540,000 $2,540,000 $2,540,000 $1,300,000 $1,300,000 $1,300,000 $1,300,000 $2,600,000 $1,434,375 $1,434,375 $1,434,375 $30,000,000 $30,000,000 $19,200,000 $19,200,000 $10,000,000 $10,000,000 $59,200,000 $80,000 $80,000 $1,000,000 $1,000,000 $187,500 $187,500 $1,267,500 $98,639,685


10

Table 5: Break down of expenditure per facility
Facility 6.19% Gemini Transaction Type Expense International Access Expense Oper ating Total Expense Oper ating Expenses - C apital Total Expense Oper ating Total Expense International Access Total Expense Oper ating Total Expense Oper ating Total Expense Oper ating Expenses - C apital Total Expense Oper ating Expenses - C apital Total Total -$4,420,000 -$4,420,000 -$142,500 -$500,000 -$642,500 -$15,612,898 2006/07 -$3,924,898 -$292,000 -$4,216,898 -$600,000 -$350,000 -$950,000 -$243,500 -$243,500 -$2,540,000 -$2,540,000 -$2,600,000 -$2,600,000 -$358,593 -$358,593 -$1,000,000 -$8,980,000 -$9,980,000 -$125,000 -$500,000 -$625,000 -$17,808,243 -$21,984,092 -$26,675,458 -$16,558,994 -$358,594 -$358,594 -$3,000,000 -$11,330,000 -$14,330,000 -$358,594 -$358,594 -$3,000,000 -$16,230,000 -$19,230,000 -$358,594 -$358,594 -$3,000,000 -$8,240,000 -$11,240,000 2007/08 -$3,423,210 -$300,000 -$3,723,210 -$1,000,000 -$1,720,000 -$2,720,000 -$401,440 -$401,440 2008/09 -$3,766,000 -$312,000 -$4,078,000 -$1,000,000 -$1,800,000 -$2,800,000 -$417,498 -$417,498 2009/10 -$3,828,666 -$324,000 -$4,152,666 -$1,000,000 -$1,500,000 -$2,500,000 -$434,198 -$434,198 2010/11 -$3,121,833 -$337,000 -$3,458,833 -$500,000 -$550,000 -$1,050,000 -$451,567 -$451,567 Total -$18,064,607 -$1,565,000 -$19,629,607 -$4,100,000 -$5,920,000 -$10,020,000 -$1,948,203 -$1,948,203 -$2,540,000 -$2,540,000 -$2,600,000 -$2,600,000 -$1,434,375 -$1,434,375 -$10,000,000 -$49,200,000 -$59,200,000 -$267,500 -$1,000,000 -$1,267,500 -$98,639,685

AAO

ARA Gemini additional

GMT GMT/ PILOT/8m

MIRA

PILOT


11 Proj ect Descripti on In no more than five pages, please provide a s ummary of the Inv estment Plan that addresses the recommendations of the NCRI S Roadmap and the Invest ment Criteria set out in the NCRIS Investment Framework. Alignment with NCRIS roadmap The NCRIS roadmap states: For Aus t ralia to remain a major international cont ributor to ast ronomy it is es s ential that w e c ontinue to have a st rong pres enc e in leading-edge international inf ras t ructure, both the current and next generations. Aus t ralia also needs to maintain the domestic inf ras t ruc ture w hic h c onstitutes the bulk of obs erving capacit y f or Au st ralian ast ronomers. This balanc ed strat egy is implement ed in this plan by investing in the following domestic and international optic al and radio infrastructure, identified as highest priorities in the communities strategic plan New Horizons: The Australian Astronomy Dec adal Plan 2006-2015. Thes e are: · · · · · Anglo-Australian Obs ervatory Gemini telescopes (6. 19% share of the two 8m-diameter telesc opes) Mileura International Radio Array (MI RA): A pathfinder for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Additional acc ess up to the equiv alent of 15% of an 8m-class telescopes including the effective 12. 4% from Gemini Design and development for the next generation of optical/infrared telescopes; the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) and PILOT.

These reflect the strat egic infrastructure priorities laid out in the NCRI S roadmap viz. The Aust ralian ast ronomy community has identified its priorities f or inf rast ructure investment in the Aust ra l ian Ast ronomy Decada l Plan 2006-2015. Consistent w ith that plan, the Committee c onsiders that the priority areas f or NCRIS investment in optical and radio ast ronomy should be (in no speci fic order): o Additional support f or the Anglo- Aust ralian Obs er v atory ( A AT optical/inf rared teles c ope); o Delivery o f the Square Kilometre A rray (SKA ) Phase 1 radio teles c ope f a cility; and o A c c es s to the equivalent of 20% o f an 8m-clas s teles c ope through the existing Gemini partners hip and through ne w teles c ope and inst rument agreements. The plan also propos es the st rategic inves tments to be made in the next -generation of optical/IR f a cilities to provide valuable options in the future development of any c as e f or Landmark-s c ale inf rast ructure in this domain as rec ommended by the NCRIS committee in the st rategic roadmap viz. The Committee considers the National Committee of A st ronomy's rec ommendation that a Giant Magellan Teles c ope Landmark Facility Committee be established by relevant government, busines s and academy partners to w o rk to w a rd s Aust ralian participation in the GMT consortium has merit and encourages the parties to consider it.


12 Excellenc e in Australian researc h: NCRI S Invest ment Criterion 1 Astronomy is one of Australia's highest impact sciences (Australian Scienc e and Tec hnology At a Glance, DEST, 2004), wit h internationally ack nowledged strengths in ground-based optic al and radio astronomy, backed by theory and computation. In the past dec ade, Australian astronomers have play ed leading roles in major discov eries, inc luding the acceleration of the universe and the existenc e of dark energy, a new type of galaxy, a unique double pulsar, and planets orbiting other stars. The impact of Australian astronomy has ris en signific antly compared to the rest of the world over the past 5 years. Ov er the period 1994-98, papers with Australian authors rec eived an average of 5.5 citations (cf. world average 5.0); by the period 1998-2002, this had risen to 9.9 citations (cf. world average 6. 8) [Source: Australian Astronomy Decadal Plan 2006-2015, adapted from ANU Capabilities and Performance St atement 2004]. This has been driv en by the capability's access to world-class infrastructure, principally the 3.9m optic al/IR Anglo-Australian Telesc ope, the radio telescopes of the Australia Telescope National Facility and, more recently, the t win 8m Gemini optical/I R telescopes. Each of the components of this plan offers Australian astronomy either an internationally unique capability in s ome valuable sens e (e.g. the AAO as the world's fastest survey spectroscopy machine, PILOT as one of the world's most sensitive mid-infrared telesc opes) or acc ess to a worldbest facility (Gemini now, MI RA in five year's time, GMT in 10 years and SKA in 15 years). The combined suite of facilities encompass ed by this research capability addresses both fundament al (dark matter and dark energy) and exciting (black holes and planets) topics in astronomy and physics. Access policies and c apacity to promote collaboration: NCRI S Invest ment Criterion 2 The principles of merit-based time assignment and effective data management systems are embedded in the infrastructure proposed in this investment plan. These are already, or will be, facilitated by integrated propos al and data management systems, including WWW-bas ed telescope-time application and peer-review proc edures, comprehensiv e on-line archiv es, availability of pipeline data-reduction tools and res earc her access to reduc ed data products and catalogues. In astronomy, forefront science can only be done in cooperation with scientists from around the world and scientists work ing in different wavelength regions. The substantial benefits that accrue from such linkages inc lude acc ess to cutting-edge data and technologies, lev eraging of the scientific funding of larger nations, and inc reased international c ollaboration. Australian astronomy has a strong c ulture of international link age ­ it leads the nation in the fraction of publications produced with int ernational collaborators, its on-s hore facilities are in high demand from int ernational users, and all its new f acilities propos ed in this plan will be built with international partners: · 77% of Australian astronomy papers over the past decade have international co-authors; · 40% of the us ers of Australian national facilities come from ov erseas; · 33% of Australian astronomy citations aris e from international astronomy facilities to whic h Australia makes no financial contribution (cf. ~5% of Australian astronomy s pending devot ed to int ernational facilities). Facility O w ne r s hip and Management Structure: NCRIS Investment Criterion 3 A central component of the management of the NCRIS constituted to provide effect Board capable of taking the plan is the establishment of a single Gov ernanc e body for the invest ment; Astronomy Res earc h Australia Ltd (ARA). ARA is ive, broad-ranging oversight of the NCRI S program, with an expert strategic decisions ov er the period of the NCRIS plan.

ARA will give the Australian government a single point of accountability, initially in the gov ernanc e of any NCRIS invest ment in astronomy, and potentially growing to include other items of national infrastructure for astronomy.


13 ARA will contract the day -to-day operation of the domestic facilities (AAT, MI RA) to existing Australian organizations (AAO, CSI RO respectively). Both hav e a long-standing rec ord of world'sbest practice in the operation of astronomic al infrastructure. ARA will contract the management of the Australian Gemini Office to AAO, while the signatory for the Gemini Agreement with the international agencies/organisations will remain the ARC-DEST. In the long term, ARA may prov ide a comprehensive solution for the funding and management of national astronomy facilities, simplifying the complex existing arrangements while offering sufficient vers atility to interf ace Australia with the next generation of int ernational facilities. As such, the long-term rationalis ation of the infrastruc tures supporting Australian astronomical research potentially enabled by the establishment of ARA may prov e to be one of the most valuable outc omes of the NCRI S process. Although this invest ment plan propos es that the ARA costs be shared bet ween NCRI S and the members, the long-term s ustainability may be best guaranteed by members contributing a significantly larger fraction, up to 100%, as ARA grows over the 2006-11 period. Implementation Strategy and Effective Business Case: NCRI S Criterion 4 Wit hin its $45M indic ative envelope, the inv est ment plan proposes significant invest ment in MI RA ($19.2M), AAO ($10M) and Gemini ($6.9-10.6M). Furt her, it proposes initial limited (~$1M) invest ment in a PILOT design study and in the firs t year of the design and development phas e (DDP) for GMT. The plan also propos es a number of strategic options (up to $5M) in the optic al domain. This includes furt her invest ment in the GMT DDP, PILOT construction and/or additional 8m time. The breadth of this plan reflects the maturity of the field's science and infrastruct ure, and the comprehensiv e stock-taking and strat egising of the Decadal Plan process. The `c onditionality' of the strategic options in the plan is a rational and prudent res ponse to the inev itable uncert ainties of a 5-year plan, partic ularly one with int ernational linkages. In particular, the astronomy capability views the initial PILOT and GMT invest ments as central to the success of this `strategic options' strategy. Information obtained from these studies will enable ARA to most effectively evaluate the option (or combination of options) that will max imise the scientific return to the capability and economic/social ret urn to the country. The plan maps out the long-term evolution of a carefully struct ured set of major facilities. These facilities have individual lifetimes of dec ades, from original c oncept, through design, construction, operation and revitalis ation, to ultimat e dec ommis sioning. For the health of Australian astronomy we need to be supporting facilities at all stages of this lifecycle, as indeed this plan does. Specifically, the plan provides for the revitalisation of the AAO, on-going operation and access for Gemini (and perhaps other 8m t elescopes ), the design and development for GMT, PILOT and MI RA, and the construction of MIRA (and, perhaps, PILOT); it also foreshadows the decommissioning of the AAT and de-sc oping of ex isting radio facilities by the time GMT and SKA come int o operation. The proposed infrastructure enables a broad range of scientific inv estigations and s upports the research of essentially the entire optic al and radio astronomy community, as well as having important applications in ot her science areas such as space science and I CT. The strat egy has been developed with a clear rec ognition that Australia's role in int ernational astronomy will be limited by access to funds and it is very muc h in the interests of the wider Australian community that the av ailable funds be directed for max imum impact and value. This has inv olved sober assess ment of those areas in which Australia can be most competitiv e1, the development of a
1

. This has involved the explicit de-pr iotisation of investment in space-based astronomy and in certain ma jor international facilities such as the Atacama Lar ge Millim etre Array.


14 vision of how Australia can exploit thes e areas of competitive advant age to the benefit of all astronomy ­ and turning this into an explicit strategy for the future. The 5-y ear financial plan is secured by strong commit ment of funding from a range of co-investors, and by a planning process designed to ens ure adequate flexibility to deal wit h the uncert ainties inherent in this type of infrastructure planning. This approac h will allow ARA to respond to changing inf ormation ­ on c osts, feasibility, value and revenues ­ to ensure maximum value is obtained from the NCRIS and co-inv estment funds while managing key risks. Us e of optionsbased principles for planning and managing the strategy ­ in a manner analogous to the earlier work done on the SKA Business Case ­ ens ures t hat risk management is integrated into the invest ment process and that the flexibility exists to respond to risks and opport unities as they emerge. Key elements of the strategy ­ es pecially in relation to MI RA, PILOT and GMT ­ are in fact sound invest ments in inf ormation options on which longer term planning for the next generation of large facilities can be based. At the same time, bot h MI RA and PI LOT are seen as extremely valuable infrastructure in their own right that are deliv erable within the time-frame of NCRI S. Involvement in the design phase of GMT will also build capability in relev ant industries and academic depart ments, which may later be exploited in the construction and operational phas es of the telesc ope. From the pers pective of international lev erage, the $45m NCRI S inv estment yields acc ess to $632m [##need to check this figure] in infrastructure proposed over the 5-y ear period 2006-11. The NCRIS invest ment critically enables the Australian astronomers to surmount the participation hurdle in international programs and cons equently exploit the invest ments made by other partners in such large-scale infrastructure. The minimum required scale for competitive user facilities in the 21st century means that dollars inv ested in an international collaborativ e project will often yield better value for money than dollars invest ed in a nationally-bas ed one. It has been possible to establish the longer term viability of the invest ments with a high degree of confidenc e. This is based on financial c ommit ments already made; on high levels of wider interest in access to thes e infrastructure assets that are, and will be for a long time to come, state-of-t heart; and on the presenc e of active markets in trading acc ess rights that offer bot h risk coverage and opportunities to expand involv ement where justified. For these very large infrastructure assets, we have had to assume that a form of continuing gov ernment involv ement would be available beyond 2011.


15 PART THREE ­ RESEARCH I NFRASTRUCTUR E In this part, you are required to show how the proposed infrastructure facilities meet NCRIS Investment Crit erion 1, ie: An i nvestment plan must result i n excellent resear ch infr astructure that addr esses the national requirements of the relevant capability area described in the NCRIS Roadmap. In addressing the criterion, you should fully addres s: · · all issues relevant to Crit erion 1 that are identified in the NCRIS Roadmap; and the requirements of Section 3.1 of the NCRI S Investment Framework `Cont ent of Investment Plans'.

This part should detail all infrastructure that is to be funded by this Invest ment Plan, including any elements that relat e to Platforms for Collaboration. The assets that will be funded by this Invest ment Plan should be detailed in Attac hment A. ............................................................................................ Nati onal Requirements ­ the Austr alian Astr onomy Decadal Plan 2006-15 The Australian astronomy community has been characterized over the last decade by coherent strategic planning ac ross all wavelength bands and sub-disciplines, exemplified by the unified plan for major optical and radio facilities funded under t he MNRF-2 program. In 2005, the Australian astronomic al community mapped out its strategic vision in New Horizons: A Decadal Plan for Australian Astronomy 2006-15. The Dec adal Plan identifies the national requirements relating to astronomy and propos es a strategic roadmap that addresses these requirements and is well supported across the astronomy community. Although the Decadal Plan pre-dates the finalis ation of the NCRI S process, the strat egic aims of bot h the Dec adal Plan and the NCRIS proc ess are highly aligned. This inc ludes a strong foc us on world-class scienc e outc omes and on a national, collaborative (integrat ed) approach to ac hiev ing those outcomes, and equal emphasis on laying the foundations for the infrastructure of next dec ade in the optical and radio domains. NCRI S funding has a central role to play in delivering the Decadal Plan strategy, and the infrastructure invest ments propos ed in this Invest ment Plan are consistent wit h the strategy proposed in the Decadal Plan. Nati onal Requirements ­ the NCRIS context · Infrastructure is a critical component of an obs erv ationally led capability such as astronomy. In this area, the Dec adal Plan highlighted the following key strategies. o o o A strong focus on engagement in international collaborations Investment in the next generation of front-rank infrastructure in both optical and radio astronomy. Maint ain appropriate inv estment levels in existing world-class infrastruct ure until new infrastructure is av ailable, followed by reprioritisation of res ources.

Nati onal Requirements - Science Focus The primary focus of most astronomy researc h ­ and the proposed applic ation of the res earch infrastructure for whic h NCRI S support is being sought ­ is knowledge deriv ed for its own sake.


16 Knowledge of the universe is a public good, one in whic h there is substantial interest and whic h provides cultural value, perhaps the greatest being the ins piration of young minds to think scientifically and to ent er scientific and engineering careers. While we have identified scope for signific ant tangible benefits from the proposed infrastructure inv estment, we are not arguing that this should constitute the primary rationale. We are propos ing s upport for truly excellent science direct ed at the most fundamental questions about our univ erse. The Dec adal Plan sets out, and discusses, nine big questions y et to be satisfactorily ans wered, where the emerging tools of modern astronomy have good prospects for making a major contribution: o What is the nature of the dark energy and dark matter that appears to make up about 95% of the univers e? o How and when did the first stars form in the early univ erse? o How are galaxies assembled and how do they ev olve? o Is our understanding of gravity correct? o How do the super-massiv e black holes in the c ores of galaxies work ? o What is the origin and ev olution of cos mic magnetism? o How do stars and planet ary systems form? o How common are planetary systems and c onditions suitable for lif e? o How do stars produc e and recycle the element al building blocks of life? All thes e questions are conc erned wit h the basic conditions that shape, and have shaped, us and the world in which we live. The same astronomy that probes the limits of our universe is als o probing the limits of our understanding of many of the laws of physics and the very nat ure of matter and energy. The s uite of infrastructure proposed for inv estment will enable Australian astronomers to continue to make world-leading contributions to ans wering thes e questions. Nati onal Requirements - I nter nati onal focus The Invest ment Plan foc us is on a s mall group of major researc h infrastructure inv estments that will support Australia continuing to play a key role at the forefront of int ernational astronomy. Astronomy is a truly international science that is now highly dependent on internationally funded and operat ed major infrastructure facilities. Sophisticated systems for sharing costs and for managing access to ens ure that the best scienc e is undertaken by the best scientists ­ wit h appropriate technical s upport in, and development of, the facilities ­ have been developed by the international astronomy c ommunity 2. Over the pas t 30+ years, the Anglo-Australian Telescope has been an Australian-bas ed ex ample of this approac h in optical astronomy, while the ATNF has served as the ex emplar in radio astronomy for almost 20 years. Closely analogous systems apply to the Gemini telescopes and are planned for the Giant Magellan Telescope, the Ant arctic PILOT telescope and the Mileura International Radio Array (MI RA). The principles embodied in thes e systems closely parallel the vision developed in the NCRI S Roadmap ­ in relation to both the collaborativ e design and development of facilities and the bas is on whic h access is provided. Several principles hav e been central to the development of the inv estment proposition set out in this document: o o A predominant consideration through the strategy development has been its focus on supporting exc ellence in scienc e ­ int ernationally competitive, involving deep international collaboration and in many cas es operating at the world leading edge ­ in astronomy. The strategy als o recognises the scientific and ec onomic benefits of combining support for Austra