Last spring following a
discussion in Grant Selection Committee 17, NSERC (Samir
Boughaba, Team Leader, Physics, Astronomy, Major Resources Support) issued the following update on this
initiative:
“You will find in this
message an update on our current initiative with respect to the funding of the
Space and Astronomy Grant Selection Committee (GSC). This matter was
thoroughly discussed during the 2006 policy meeting of the Committee.
In an attempt to effectively
address the needs of the communities that are served by the Space and Astronomy
GSC, we are considering the adoption of an envelope as a funding mechanism.
Such a mechanism has been demonstrated to be very successful for the
subatomic physics community, which has
needs that are similar in a number of respects to those of the space and
astronomy communities. Prior to any decision, we will undertake a thorough and extensive
consultation of the communities. This consultation will be led by an ad
hoc advisory Committee of highly regarded members of the space and
astronomy communities and their representative bodies. The consultation
will be carried out through different formats (e.g., town hall meetings,
web-based surveys, interviews). The Committee will have a focused
mandate, and it will advise NSERC, through a report, on the appropriateness of
this funding mechanism, and recommend possible structures for the envelope.
The Committee will be established by the fall of 2006. The 2007 competition
will not be affected by this process, and the existing funding mechanism will
be used.
As you may know, NSERC will also be reviewing in the near future the
structure of its GSCs to ensure that the latter
efficiently cover all the disciplines and areas, including the many emerging
ones, in Natural Sciences and Engineering. Both initiatives will
complement each other.”
The Board has discussed the issues extensively once again and will be working openly with NSERC to facilitate this exercise. The latest information is that NSERC hopes to have this ad hoc “Envelope Evaluation Committee” in place by the end of this calendar year. The timetable is to launch the consultations early in the new year and reach some conclusion by 2008 for implementation for the 2009 competition. The exercise on Realignment of Committees would conclude in 2009, for implementation in 2010. This could turn out be an ideal convergence of reviews and evaluations whose outputs will be how best to provide the strongest possible support to our community.
ACURA is in the process of
developing input on these issues as suggested in the Mid-term Review of the
LRP. It is assumed that ACURA will be
commenting from the perspective of the institutions that have a stake in
astronomical research rather than from the perspective of individual
astronomers.