Barbara Warmbein | 4 September 2008There are many official stages to a project financed by the European Commission – from call, proposal, negotiations, contract draft, start of work, annual reports to one of the most official events: the kick-off meeting. Europe's new flagship project on cavity production and exploration of international governance structures, ILC-HiGrade took this step last week. Representatives form all eight work packages were at DESY to present their objectives, their to-do lists and the milestones already achieved.
Category: Around the World | Tagged: DESY, Europe, ILC HiGrade
Barry Barish | 14 August 2008The modern era in Spanish particle physics was marked by Spain rejoining CERN in 1983, and the country's investments and programme in particle physics have continued to grow and thrive ever since.
Category: Director's Corner | Tagged: Europe, Spain
3 July 2008The partners of the 'ILC-HiGrade' proposal for the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme have just started a contract for five million Euros funding over the next four years with the European Commission. 'ILC-HiGrade' stands for 'International Linear Collider and High Gradient Superconducting RF-Cavities.' One of the main objectives of the proposal is a small serial production of accelerating cavities, superconducting components made of pure niobium for the planned International Linear Collider (ILC), that reach the high technical standards needed for the planned particle physics project. Other objectives of the ILC-HiGrade proposal are the development of a possible organisation and governance for the ILC and measures to prepare for the actual construction of the machine, including a detailed study on possible sites in Europe.
Category: Feature | Tagged: Europe, ILC HiGrade
Barbara Warmbein | 21 February 2008Even – or especially ? – directors cannot have their eyes everywhere. They need to gather information and be able to judge things – but how do you do this on a continent where labs can be 3,000 kilometres apart, every country has different forms of governance, and science policy and funding agencies couldn’t be harder to grasp? Global Design Effort European Regional Director Brian Foster has found his own solution. If a reasonable number of high-level European physicists and lab directors come together in one place, he often calls for a meeting of his Advisory Group. One of these European Advisory Group meetings has just happened at DESY, slotted in right after the ICFA and ILCSC meetings, to minimise travel.
Category: Around the World | Tagged: Europe