News from Science Board

Science Board met on 26th November 2008 at Polaris House, Swindon. Business items for the day included the Science and Technology Strategy and the Wakeham Review. Following on from their September meeting, Science Board considered the final draft of the Science and Technology Strategy for the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). Science Board approved the Strategy for the three-month public consultation beginning in mid-December 2008.

Science Board considered the implications of the Wakeham Review and the Executive reported on the STFC response to them. The Wakeham Review also highlighted the balance of funding across physics sub-disciplines. After discussion, Science Board identified two issues that they wanted to explore in more detail using two working groups. These were to consider the balance of funding across the science programme and the funding distribution between construction and exploitation of facilities. The working groups will report back to the January 2009 meeting of Science Board.

Science Board received reports from the deputy chair of the Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear Physics Science Committee (PPAN) and the deputy chair of the Physical and Life Sciences Committee (PALS).

Since the last meeting of Science Board, PPAN have met twice on the 8th September and 13th October 2008. At their specially convened September meeting, PPAN considered and recommended funding levels for a number of nuclear physics project proposals. PPAN also considered a statement of interest for the MoonLITE project. At their October meeting, PPAN received presentations on Mars Sample Return, ExoMars and the Aurora programme. A report from the Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology (IPPP) review panel was received and discussed. PPAN also received a report on Solar Orbiter, but decided to defer a decision until their November meeting, so that it could be considered together with the other Cosmic Vision proposals.

PALS have met twice since the last meeting of Science Board, on 9th and 10th September and 14th and 15th October. At the September meeting PALS carried out a horizon scanning exercise to identify emerging trends and issues that may affect STFC. PALS also heard presentations from directors of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) and the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) on future developments at these facilities. These presentations formed part of an attempt to strengthen communication between PALS and facility directors.

PALS also agreed to set up two advisory panels:

• neutrons
  
• photons

At their October meeting, PALS considered a number of final reports from the old Facility Development Project grant scheme. Their main business was to consider the science case for the New Light Source (NLS). On the basis of the science case, PALS recommended that the NLS project team now proceed to develop a conceptual technical design of a facility, and Science Board endorsed this recommendation.

Science Board also met at a specially convened meeting on 10th October 2008 at the Institute of Physics to discuss and recommend resource levels for ExoMars and the Aurora programme in advance of the European Space Agency (ESA) Ministerial in November 2008.