Financial year 2002/03 saw the start of the planned reduction in PPARC
funding as a consequence of the UK's membership of the European Southern Observatory.
The budget reductions, which were to be phased in over a 4 year period from
2002/03 to 2005/06, reflected the programme strategies for the observatory
set out in ING's Restructuring Plan of September 2001. However, the
budget reductions from the UK were compensated for in part through a new
collaboration with Spain by which the IAC would provide resources in the
form of 6 staff years of effort per annum in exchange for an increase in
the observing time available to the Spanish astronomy community. The approved
funding for ING's Joint Programme during financial year 2002/03 provided a
total requisitions budget of €3641k, including a carry-forward from the previous
year and income generated under the EU’s Access Programme. However, a decision
was taken early in the year to introduce economies so that approximately €500k
could be “banked” with PPARC and carried forward to future years in order
to help offset the effects of the budgetary reductions in 2005 and thereafter.
The resulting allocations and associated expenditure are set out below under
the main budget headings (staff costs associated with the international posts
at ING are excluded).
Budget centre
Alloc. FY 2002/03 €k
Exp. FY 2002/03 €k
Operations
Administration and management
70.0
67.8
Astronomy support
90.0
87.2
Conferences
69.0
47.4
Engineering support
494.0
502.1
Local staff
943.3
929.4
ORM operations
602.0
587.9
Sea-level infrastructure and services
225.0
240.0
Students
40.0
20.5
SUBTOTAL
2533.3
2482.3
Enhancements
730.0
489.7
TOTAL
3263.3
2972.0
Financial year 2003/04 saw a continuation in the reduction of the UK's contribution
to ING operations but the financial situation of the observatory received
a significant financial boost when it was agreed that the IAC would in future
provide its contribution in the form of cash rather than the 6 staff years
of effort previously agreed. This not only provided ING with greater flexibility
in how to manage its resources but financially it also meant that the observatory
received the overhead costs associated with the 6 posts. Agreement to this
change was reached well into the financial year in question so that funding
was received only for the final quarter of the year. Including this additional
contribution from the IAC, together with the carry-forward from the previous
year and further EU funding, the total approved requisitions budget was €3223.8k.
This was distributed between the various budget headings as set out below.
Again, a contingency sum was held back to be carried forward to future years
to help offset the significant step-down in PPARC's contribution that will
occur in 2005/06. The resulting allocations and associated expenditure are
set out below under the main budget headings (staff costs associated with
the international posts at ING are excluded).
