2012 FEBRUARY 9

INPUT FROM UK USERS SOUGHT FOR STFC SCIENCE BOARD REVIEW OF ING AND JAC

              Deadline 22 February 2012

ING's plans for the coming decade were presented to STFC Science Board
in November 2011.  In order to reach a decision by April 2012, Science
Board set up a sub-group to examine our proposal (and that presented
for JCMT and UKIRT). STFC's announcement is at

http://www.stfc.ac.uk/About+STFC/38392.aspx

We note that STFC are requesting input from the UK astronomical
community, in particular with regard to the following question:

"Have there been any major recent changes in the circumstances of the
JCMT, UKIRT and/or ING, for example with regard to their prospective
future science programmes coupled with present or potential new
instrumentation, that significantly add to the scientific
competitiveness of the facilities? If yes, please detail these changes
and their implications for the STFC Astronomy programme."

We at ING strongly encourage ING users to submit their views. Input
is being collected via the Astronomy Forum representative in your
Department. Please find out who your representative is, and send 
him/her your views on the above question, and, more generally, on your
interest in continued access to the ING telescopes.

To give you a better feel for what ING will offer the community, we
describe ING plans for the next decade at:

http://www.ing.iac.es/about-ING/Strategy/strategy_2013_2022.html

The deadline for submission of your inputs is 

               22 February 2012.

More on this process in STFC's presentation at the December 2011 Astro 
Forum meeting:

http://www.ras.org.uk/ras-policy/astronomy-forum

Many thanks for this valuable contribution to the future of the 
STFC's island sites.

Marc Balcells

----------------------------------------------------
Dr. Marc Balcells, Director
Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes
38700 Santa Cruz de La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain
Tel. +34 922 425 403
http://www.ing.iac.es
balcells 'at' ing.iac.es


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